Jupiter/Planet Question

[M4lcs67]

Hey folks,

Yet another newbie question. Was outside the other night viewing Jupiter for the first time, but was suprised how small it was while looking through my scope with both eyepieces and also with my 2x Barlow. There just didn't seem to be much detail as it was so small. In a way I was a little underwhelmed whereas I should have been elated. Don't get me wrong it was brilliant seeing it from my own back garden here on planet Earth with my own eyes, but it just seemed a little dissapointing. Maybe I am expecting too much with the equipment I am using. Would getting an even higher powered eyepiece give me better detail.

Apologies in advance for dumb question.

Thanks

[kniclander]

if you think Jupiter's small, wait till you see mars...

seriously, the longer you look at it, the more you see and the less small it seems (if that makes sense). your 9mm e/p will give you about 166x mag which is probably about all you want with the scope you have.

[chemtom24]

i think ur focal length is 1500? so with a 2x on the 9mm, your mag would be 1500/4.5 = 330x

This is probably pushing it a little but depends on the seeing conditions.

However, a lower mag will only give a smaller object. I think the size of your scope is limiting your view.

My first view of jupiter was through a 130/750 newt and whilst it got me hokoed, all i saw was a very bright white ball witha hint of banding.

Clear skies the other night, I looked through my 200/1000 with a 6mm ep - the view blew me away. Sooo much more detail, a bigger image, colour, the blumming lot!!

Get saving for a larger diameter scope Check out astrobuysell.co.uk for some second hand deals

[John]

This is a very common reaction to seeing planets for the first time through scopes. I guess the images we see "filling the frame" are in the back of our minds and the fact that we are looking at the largest planet in the solar system.

Once you get used to the image scale that 150x - 180x gives, your eye starts to pick out the details and contrast changes (as the seeing conditions allow) on the planetary surface and you soon get used to the way it looks.

Of course you could add a further barlow and increase the magnification to 300x-400x but all you will see is a larger but featureless disk as the detail has been "washed out" by excessive magnification.

I was observing Jupiter last night with a 120mm ED refractor. 180x was the optimum power for resolving the most detail I found. I tried 240x for a while and it was not too bad but dropping back the power delivered a pleasing "firming up" of the features

[mazoaguirre]

yes is a little disapointing the first time, but for the most exciting thing about observe the sky, is remember that the objects was far away, and the Pictures we saw or the images in the movies are real in part.

with my 114/1000 i was capable to see the bands clouds never the red spot, but see the 4 mayor moons and how move arond Jupiter thats the big deal

keep watching the sky and sonner o later you have skills to see better images, and remember that there is the weather conditions deliver us bad, poors and occasionally a really good one

[chemtom24]

you should be able to egt close to 200 quid for your scope and mount - so bear in mind it may well be worth selling up and buying a bigger 2nd hand kit

[chemtom24]

i got some godo views of satrun out of this scope so i can noly imagine jupiter being better since its bigger U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

[Capricorn]

Very little of what is up there appears "big".

Planets are a prime example, unfortunately.

If the 9mm gives 166x then I would say that even 200x will not appear any bigger so hold off of the idea of selling and buying something else.

The jump from say 150x to 200x is just 1/3 bigger, so not huge and conditions may prevent 200x anyway.

I would suggest perhaps a little less and go for a decent sharp contrasted image. You will see a lot more if the image is decent.

I guess that you have the 9mm and the 25mm and the barlow, try the 25mm and barlow for 120x, concern is that the barlow may make the image worse then it really is. The supplied ones do not get good ratings. After that it is get another eyepiece. Or borrow one to try.

[Gradie]

I have the Skywatcher version of the same scope and would suggest that the 9mm without Barlow would give the best views most nights. The aperture and seeing conditions mean that applying the Barlow as well, although increasing the apparent size, actually reduces the detail you can see.

With a cooled scope, well adapted eyes and only average conditions I could easily make out two defined dark bands on the disc and the four moons, so expect something similar. I'm hoping for some clearer nights soon to spend more time looking.

[nightfisher]

i recently viewed jupiter through my 200k klevtsov and i was amazed at the size of jupiter, much bigger than i am used to

[stev74]

There is a lot of great advice already on this thread already but just thought I'd add - seeing conditions can play a large part it the detail we can see but also so can the planets altitude in the night sky.

You don't say at what time your were observing at? The higher Jupiter is the better as you can be observing though extra atmospheric turbulence and dust particals if it's low in the sky, that can have an effect on the views as well.

For me though one of the most important things is - time at the eyepiece (EP).

The more time you spend observing an object the more detail you will be able to tease out of the view, I can easily spend an hour or more just on Jupiter.

So don't worry the more time you spend at the EP the more you will be able to interpret the seeing conditions and the magnifications needed to tease out the most detail on any given night.

Over the next few months Jupiter will be well place high in the sky so take your time and enjoy the views. They will definitely get better and just occasionally you will get a night with really steady seeing - believe me they are worth the wait!!

[M4lcs67]

Thanks for all your very helpful information and advice. Hey Stev74. Was observing around 23.30. Luckily as the colder, darker nights approach and Jupiter gets higher in the sky, I should be in for some better views??????

[milkyjoe]

I was observing Jupiter a lot last October with only my 4" achromat refractor and I could still make out a few bands quite clearly using my 7mm baader ortho and a 2x barlow. That said, it does depend on the observing conditions as Stev74 quite rightly says, atmospheric turbulence can greatly change the way an object looks so it's best to observe when your object is highest in the night sky, called the Zenith (directly overhead.)

[Schorhr]

As I am relatively new to astronomy and this is my first "Jupiter season", I tried yesterday with every eyepiece I had.

A lot of things influence the result, the seeing being one main issue. Sometimes more details are visible on lower magnification then other days. Also, you'll be able to watch it a longer time then on a higher magnification.

Maksutov 102/1300mm

TS Zoom 7-21mm: Nice view on 7mm, a little color around the planet, even without the prism. It's just small, but nice view with the moons in the field of view as well.

Two bands where visible, probably more if the seeing would have been better?

10mm kit lens: About the same, smaller though. No color "blur".

4mm "SR" (Ramsden?) from the cheap newton telescope.

Higher magnification, but the cheap eyepiece did not show much detail- even less then the 7mm.

10 + 7mm with plastic barlow:

Nice to see it large, but I was not able to get it as sharp as without barlow. I really need to get a better one, or buy a nice 3/4mm EP right away.

Green plastic "moon filter":

Amazingly it did increase contrast, even it was from the cheap newton kit. I think I may have to buy a better one someday.

My resume:

- A cheap barlow may increase the size, but details and contrast decrease, color errors appear.

- More then 200x does not seem to work every night.

- A good eyepiece is worth more then a higher magnification

- The longer you look at it, the more details will appear. First I was frustrated too, but then I even saw some more texture in the clouds and fainter stars.

- I took the time drawing what I saw. After observing with a low magnification, even a few details (and hip 11884??) became visible under less then ideal skies...

- sometimes you'll be seeing things, perhaps dust on the EP or cloud bits? :-) So it's good to compare different observations from different days...

Astro photography is showing even less for me, my first attempt was more frustrating then fun; A EQ mount would be easier then the old camera tripod, where I am busy changing settings, chasing the planet back into the camera's view, without causing too much vibrations that ruined almost every image

Not much more then a blurry blob, but two bands visible... Not enough images to stack either.

[kniclander]

good stuff - is that the GRS I see lower middle/ left?

[Schorhr]

Thanks!

I thought so at first, but I think it was just something else (clouds, dust on EP, etc.), as I only saw it indirectly and according to other people 's images from the past days it would have been a little off :-)

But that's why I wrote, comparing over several days is importaint ;-)