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Mars looks like a small white blob/circle and the same with all other planets. This is very frustrating. I've looked all over for a solution jumping from site to site and nothing. Please be different on this site.

Edit: Many people have marked this post as duplicate. Yes, I know, but the other post did not answer my question.

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    $\begingroup$ What other planets have you looked at? What latitude are you observing from? Is 130 the diameter (size) of the scope in mm? $\endgroup$
    – JohnHoltz
    Dec 3, 2018 at 2:25
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    $\begingroup$ It's a bit strange that Mars looks white. It has a distinct reddish orange colour. $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Dec 3, 2018 at 9:59
  • $\begingroup$ @JohnHoltz I'll get back with you on that question once they skies clear and i can observe other planets. Also, it is strange that mars doesn't have the reddish orange color which is why i'm so confused and angry, about to send the telescope back and never buy one again. What a waste of time. $\endgroup$
    – KingGeorgeGopro
    Dec 4, 2018 at 2:56
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    $\begingroup$ @KingGeorgeGopro Does Mars look clearly different (a disk rather than a dot) than a star in your scope? Is your scope properly aligned to the sky? Having made sure we're looking at the right thing, there are two considerations. First, consider using a higher magnification; step it up gradually. Planets can look really bright and white at lower magnifications. Second, if you've reached your highest mag and it's still a problem, investigate using a filter of some kind to solve the problem, such as a variable polarizer. I hope this helps. Keep in mind that weather on Mars may be a factor too... $\endgroup$
    – Alphecca
    Dec 4, 2018 at 4:02
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    $\begingroup$ This community would genuinely like to help, but the lack of detail in your question left little scope for it not to be marked as a duplicate. You could have added the information John Holtz asked for. What did you see when you looked at the Moon: was it clear and in focus? When you say "all the other planets", currently the only other one visible after sunset is Saturn (Venus only rises before dawn, and Mercury and Jupiter are too close to the Sun to be seen). $\endgroup$
    – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten Monica
    Dec 4, 2018 at 4:30

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Mars is a small planet and currently far from Earth (just over 1 Astronomical Unit). Therefore, it currently appears to be very small -- smaller than 9 arcseconds. At that size, it will look like a small disk.

Based on this one observation, I think that no conclusion can be made about any possible problem.

Also, a 130 mm f/5 scope is rather short for planetary observing where you want high magnification. This scope is better for wide fields of view, such as the Pleiades or Double Cluster.

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  • $\begingroup$ Maybe you didn't understand my question. I see no detail at all, no "small disk", just a white dot with no detail at all and that's what every other planet looks like. I've seen mars with this exact telescope online with identical magnification and it looks nothing like mine. $\endgroup$
    – KingGeorgeGopro
    Dec 4, 2018 at 2:54

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