Newbies first view of Jupiter

[stick]

I know this is probably old hat for most of you guys but i just got my first views of Jupiter through my scope.

Had great conditions after yesterdays winds had died away, and nice clear Sky's.

Could see all 4 main moons as well as both north and south equatorial belts. No GRS but am still blown away.

I thought Saturn was great but Jupiter tonight was so much sharper and clearer.

magic !

[jasdav]

I got my first views back in the spring when it was low on the horizon. Despite that I still thought it was amazing and had to call all the family out for a look. Only my 5 yr old was enthusiastic though, and told her teacher about it the next day.

[Nexus 6]

Good to read you have seen the mighty Jupiter, its a spectacular sight without a doubt

[ChrisEdu]

If you haven't already had it, just wait until you see Jupiter and its rings!

[todd8137]

If you haven't already had it, just wait until you see Jupiter and its rings!

am sure you mean Saturn hahahahhahahhaahhaha all this talk of Jupiter sends the mind crazy

[todd8137]

hi Stick and welcome from me Jupiter is a great planet to view i never saw the grs till i brought a neodymium filter but its a great sight to see i nearly went and knocked on my neighbors doors to get them to come see it ,am sure you will have many moments like this with other planets and dso`s

clear skies always

[ChrisEdu]

am sure you mean Saturn hahahahhahahhaahhaha all this talk of Jupiter sends the mind crazy

D'oh! You are, of course, right! That's the trouble with posting when half asleep! Either that, or looking at the moon has driven my mad!!! mwhahaha!

Anyway, yes, just wait until you see Saturn and its rings for yourself - that is also really cool! That said, I was stoked to see Uranus for the first time the other night.

[Dr_Who_46]

Had my first ever view last night too. Was amazed with the clarity with being so far away. All 4 moons and i could spy 2 bands accross the surface. Just need to get my barlow lense to spy more and the GRS

Will it be better with filters then ?

[stick]

managed to see Saturn in all its glory a while back now.

You are right, it was brilliant to see, and as it was the first planet i saw for myself (well with the scope anyway !), i reckon it'll always be my favourite.

Was looking to try and see the supernova in M101 as well but couldn't find it. (like i said I'm a newbie !)

thanks for the replies one and all

stick

[paf90]

Hiya Stick from a fellow Bristolian currently in exile!

I had my first sight of Jupiter a few weeks ago and yes, that first view really takes your breath away; it just seems so surreal to see this distant planet with your own eyes! Same as you I haven't yet seen the GRS but have had some great views of the bands and the 4 Jovian moons strung out in a twinkling line, quite beautiful.

[Perthshirelass]

Hey ditto I'm glad its just not me...I was whooping with delight when I saw it too and thats only with bins (15x70)...think I'd better get on with the scope plans....will it still be there when all this rain and clouds go away?...hope so...enjoy all fellow Newbies (am I in the right place to add comments? wheres those funny faces to add? heck they should'ave had computers when I was young!!) :-)

[ChrisEdu]

Seeing the GRS is a thrill. It's something you get so used to seeing in the media that to see it with your own eyes is something special. I remember my first, and so far only, time, as it was only a few weeks ago.

[John]

Jupiter is a great target but the GRS can be tricky to spot at first - it's not as prominent visually as images would lead you to expect plus it's not necessarily on the right side of the planet when we would like it to be of course !. Like many astro objects though, it gets easier once you have found it the 1st time. There are some darker "knots" in the north side of the north equatorial belt that stand out quite clearly at the moment in modest aperture scopes so those are worth looking out for. Last year there was a nice white spot in the NEB as well but I've not seen that so far this year.

With the ever changing moon positions, occultations and shadow transits, there is seemingly never a dull moment around the giant planet and you can make out movement of the surface features due to planetary rotation over a matter of an hour or so - I find time just slips by when Jupiter is on show

[Madhatter]

Jupiter is amazing, even though saturn was the first planet i saw and its rings are stunning there is alot more going on with jupiter, i have spotted the GRS one time so far:)

[stick]

Hiya Stick from a fellow Bristolian currently in exile!

I had my first sight of Jupiter a few weeks ago and yes, that first view really takes your breath away; it just seems so surreal to see this distant planet with your own eyes! Same as you I haven't yet seen the GRS but have had some great views of the bands and the 4 Jovian moons strung out in a twinkling line, quite beautiful.

hey fellow "brizzle" gazer !

quite right, its stunning, had a couple more goes at looking for the GRS but still no joy

but hey, this is a patience sport !!!

[bluemac]

It's just fantastic isn't it? I've only just got myself a telescope and am just baffled at the detail I can see of Jupiter. Even the Missus is amazed, and has joined me a few times to do a bit of viewing!

[Cordulegaster]

It is stunning. I like he way the moons are in different places each day you look.

[Mightymoo]

Hi all

I had a great view of Jupiter at 6am this morning, although I had to hack down a tree branch that had grown in my garden. Well worth the effort of getting up! I could see the bands clearly, and I think the GRS must have been out of view, so there's one more thing for me to chase up now.

My newbie moment comes when I pondered on the moons I was seeing. Hope someone can confirm it was Io, Ganymede, Calypso and Europa as they're the largest?

Great stuff though, will be buzzing the rest of the day about this (-:

Moo

[bluemac]

Hi all

I had a great view of Jupiter at 6am this morning, although I had to hack down a tree branch that had grown in my garden. Well worth the effort of getting up! I could see the bands clearly, and I think the GRS must have been out of view, so there's one more thing for me to chase up now.

My newbie moment comes when I pondered on the moons I was seeing. Hope someone can confirm it was Io, Ganymede, Calypso and Europa as they're the largest?

Great stuff though, will be buzzing the rest of the day about this (-:

Moo

That would be 'Callisto', along with the others, yes.

There's a very good chart in the Sky at Night magazine which will tell you which are which based on their position, I'm afraid I don't have mine handy otherwise I'd tell you.

[bluemac]

That would be 'Callisto', along with the others, yes.

There's a very good chart in the Sky at Night magazine which will tell you which are which based on their position, I'm afraid I don't have mine handy otherwise I'd tell you.

Sorry, I hope that didn't sound like I was putting you down - I was buzzing too the first time I got a good view of the moons.

[Piers127]

Viewing for Jupiter was excellent last night, but I had to go to bed before it cleared properly. Also caught Uranus, my first view. Never fails to get the blood pumping when I see something new for the first time, and for me that means I have a lot of excitement to come!

[Mightymoo]

Sorry, I hope that didn't sound like I was putting you down - I was buzzing too the first time I got a good view of the moons.

Not at all I'd say it's my lack of sleep, but I suspect it's a typo!

Can't wait for tonight for more, hope the skies stay as clear as they are!

Moo

[Pheonix]

I got home last night about 10ish and my girlfriend asked if I had seen the ISS and that it looked so bright. I had seen the bright light but was sceptical that it was the ISS.

So, we went out and had a look through our binoculars and then the new telescope which we had put up the night before. We got the scope set up and was delighted to see it was Jupiter and we could clearly see the 4 moons all aligned. What an experience.

Can't wait to see more.

[Nexus 6]

She was half right, the ISS is very bright, as Jupiter is, but it is constantly moving at around 17,000 mph!