filter for saturn?

[redgiantjohn]

hi again just wondering if there is a filter I can buy to take away some of the brightness and show a bit more detail of saturn I have a skywatcher 150p dob and even though I was amazed by it, it was very very bright even after putting the end-cap back on and just using the small hole in it

Also I am in need of a barlow in the near future so would appreciate any recommendations thx john:)

[RikM]

Increasing the magnification will tone down the brightness quite a bit.

Different coloured filters can help to enhance the contrast of different features on the planets. Not sure which colours work best for which features, or whether they are worth the faff.

[Nova]

i bought a set of planetary filters they are yellow #12 , orange #21 and blue #38A all of which are supposed to enhance certain features but tbh so far I have not really had any success with them. they just made what I could see change colour. It could of been poor seeing and maybe the features they were supposed to enhance werent vissible anyway. popping in a barlow will dim things quite a bit. id try that before filters

Filter guide here

http://stargazerslounge.com/primers-tutorials/38541-primer-planetary-filters-guide.html

[swamp thing]

Hi

By putting the end cap back on and observing through a small hole in it you were effectively cutting down your scopes ability to resolve fine detail.

The resolving power of a scope is directly related to the aperture. The larger the aperture, the greater the resolving power.

Aperture stops can be used when seeing is bad but they are only effective on larger scopes.

On smaller scopes the improvements in seeing are offset by the loss of contrast and resolution.

The colour filters mentioned, I find have a mixed reception, some people swear by them, others swear at em. It's a case of suck it and see.

Regards Steve