# Magnification

Also called: power, ×.

How much bigger a telescope makes things look: its focal length divided by the eyepiece's focal length.

Magnification is the least important number on a telescope box. Too little and small objects stay tiny; too much and the image turns dim, soft and shaky. Each target has a sweet spot — set by the [exit pupil](https://astropilot.space/glossary/exit-pupil) it needs, how big it is, and the [seeing](https://astropilot.space/glossary/seeing).

Rough guide: low power (4–6 mm exit pupil) for big clusters and nebulae, medium (2–3 mm) for galaxies and most deep-sky objects, high (0.7–1.2 mm) for planets, the Moon and close doubles.

**In AstroPilot:** Object pages pick the eyepiece from your kit that gives the best power for each target, and why.

**Related:** [Exit pupil](https://astropilot.space/glossary/exit-pupil.md), [Maximum useful magnification](https://astropilot.space/glossary/max-magnification.md), [True field of view](https://astropilot.space/glossary/true-field.md), [Eyepiece](https://astropilot.space/glossary/eyepiece.md), [Sweet spots](https://astropilot.space/glossary/sweet-spot.md)

From the AstroPilot astronomy glossary: https://astropilot.space/glossary/magnification