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However, Mars only gets close enough to Earth to see meaningful detail for a brief period once every couple of years, and even then, not all Mars oppositions are equal. Close oppositions like we just experienced happen once every 11–13 years or so.

Saturn’s rings are at least detectable in just about any telescope at almost any magnification. Saturn’s cloud belts are also observable, but like Jupiter’s, they can be subtle and fairly low contrast. The Cassini Division in Saturn’s rings should also be visible, as well as Saturn’s shadow being cast onto its rings when Saturn is at quadrature.

Correct magnification = balance of atmospheric support, telescope, view brightness and image scale. More magnification = dimmer.

The atmosphere is probably the biggest gatekeeper to planetary detail. It refracts, bends, and distorts light the same way water in a pool does, just to a lesser degree. Different parts of the world have different levels of atmospheric turbulence at different times of the year. Mountains, trees, lakes, oceans, latitude, and elevation above sea level can all influence how much atmospheric distortion you may encounter.

The level of turbulence is known as “seeing”, and it is often described by its Pickering number