No color/atmosphere

[SoulFrenzy]

I'm using an Orion XT8 with a 17mm EP and a Barlow 2x lens to view Saturn. I can see the rings very well and make out where the rings pass in front of the planet. I can see the separation of the rings and planet. Don't get me wrong I love being able to see this. This observing makes me breathless every time. The thing I can't really do though is make out much color, everything is more "bright" than a color. Also I can't make out much of the of the atmosphere. Am I using the wrong combination of lenses or is my scope not quite large enough to make out more detail. I very new to astronomy and I'm still learning my scope.

[SoulFrenzy]

I tried again tonight and looked and studied it and let my eyes adjust and I can make out some detail.

[brantuk]

Hi SF - Looking through a scope you'll mosty see black and white. A lot of folks new to the hobby expect colour cos they've seen all the hubble images in glossy magazines and on TV. These colour images come from cameras that work differently to the human eye.

Cameras can pick up different wavelengths of light on their sensors that the eye just can't see at the distances involved. You will however see some limited colour on planets like Jupiters banding in brown/white, Mars red pole, Neptune I think is a blue'ish dot, etc. For dso's you'll pick up some nice double stars in hues of blue/gold (eg Alberio), and you may see some red'ish stars in certain globulars.

But by and large it'll mosty be blacks, whites, and shades of grey (in nebulae), grey smudges for galaxies and clusters, and gold/blue/red for stars at different stages of their lifecycle - untill you do some astrophotography with a camera.

Hope that helps

[twotter]

I think there's also something about your eye getting used to looking at astronomical objects. The more times you observe, the more you will see.

My first target when I got my telescope was Jupiter and that first time wasn't as good for seeing the finer details (bands & GRS) as later sessions. Okay, that could be down to poor atmospheric conditions between sessions, but I do think my eyes are more attuned, and I know what to look for

So, practice makes perfect

[John]

I think there's also something about your eye getting used to looking at astronomical objects. The more times you observe, the more you will see.

My first target when I got my telescope was Jupiter and that first time wasn't as good for seeing the finer details (bands & GRS) as later sessions. Okay, that could be down to poor atmospheric conditions between sessions, but I do think my eyes are more attuned, and I know what to look for

So, practice makes perfect

This is great advice and exactly matches my experience

The more you look, the more you will see.

[callisto]

Yeh, the more you look the more detail will appear.

Those moments when the atmosphere steadies, and for a few seconds everything is so clear and you go OMG, Its well worth the perseverance

[brantuk]

Yes - make sure you are dark adapted too - or use a dark blanket over your head and eyepiece - makes a big difference to what jumps out at you in the view

[Nexus 6]

Hi Soulfrenzy, some good comments already given, I have enjoyed some tremendous views of Saturn this time around, I am prepaired to sit and wait for the moments of excellent but fleeting moments of the image of it "tuning in" when it is nothing short of spectacular

One thing is clear though the colour is very faint and is nothing like Jupiter for instance as a comparison.

[Randoma]

I looked it at the first time yesterday, with a 10mm at 120x.

Jupiter was yellow, saw a brown cloudband, and it was amazing.