I have a Meade ETX-70AT, what size eyepiece do I need to see Mars and Jupiter?

[tiffany v]

I was given this telescope and I don't know anything about them. I've used it to see stuff like the moon and some stars but I don't think that the eyepieces that I have are strong enough to see Mars and Jupiter or anything as far. I have a MA 25mm and MA 9mm. I'd appreciate some advice about what I would need or just some opinions about good basic eyepieces. Thanks

[Geoff G]

This telescope is designed primarily for low power, wide field views of the Milky Way and large deep sky objects, but lacks sufficient magnification to show much detail on the planets. With its "high power" eyepiece, the 9mm, it gives only 39x, which is just barely enough to show that Saturn has rings, and that Jupiter has four moons and possibly a band or two on its surface; forget about Mars! A Barlow lens will double or triple that magnification, but that's still too low to show much on the planets, and is reaching or exceeding the resolution limit of a 70mm objective.

The answer for better planetary views is, I'm afraid, a larger and better telescope. I find a 4-inch (100mm) refractor or a 6-inch (150mm) reflector to be the absolute minimum for satisfactory planetary observing. Check out the Orion web site (in the link below) to see more suitable planetary telescopes.