Big events call for big equipment—so on August 27, when Mars will be closer to Earth than ever before in recorded history, a new 14-inch telescope will be the big ticket for examining the Red Planet. Meade's LX200GPS gathers 96 percent more light and has 29 percent greater resolution than a 10-incher. Peering through the new scope, you'll be able to make out Mars's polar ice caps, according to Charles Liu of New York's Hayden Planet-arium.