First look - Jupiter, I'm hooked!

[UHF]

I got my Explorer 200p scope a few days back, I'd just finished setting up the polarscope in the living room and noticed it was a clear night so rushed outside (tbh not expecting to see much as I didn't have time or vision (cloudy in the north), to polar align. In fact, the finder scope wasnt even aligned yet.

Anyway, I pointed it a bit opportunistically towards the general direction of Jupiter, found it easily with the finder scope and centred it, then switched to the main eye peice and found nothing (obviously), but did see a glow up in one corner so I adjusted the dec/ra accordingly and centred the blurry object, focussed it and Jupiter jumped out at me Back to the finderscope, centred that and now I have a centred finderscope and a nicely centred Jupiter.

I think i just lucked out here on my first attempt, I'd spent hours indoors convinced that it would be impossible to find anything without polar alignment and some frame of reference.

I switched from 25mm to 10mm and found I couldnt focus so switched to 25mm with 2x Barlow and there it was. Jupiter, showing two darker bands and 4 moons which I later discovered were Calisto out on its own, Europa closer in then IO, Ganymede together on the other side

Obviously I'll get out when I have some warmer clothes and better visibility but I'm so impressed on my first half assed attempt!

All this was on my patio, 1m outside my back door with quite a lot of background glow from the local houses, I guess things can only get better from here. Some more zoon would be handy, how come I couldn't focus my 10mm with 2x Barlow?

Also, damn, do things belt across the sky when you're close up, I went in to get the girlfriend and it had moved halfway across my finderscope!

Sorry to rant but I'm all excited now, just wish I wasn't freezing cold.

[tich]

It sounds like my first couple of attempts as both times I never got the scope aligned properly due to low lying cloud in the North. I did manage to get some great views of the moon & Jupiter on both attempts & the scope tracked ok. I was really surpised with the detail I was seeing on Jupiter with the cloud bands & the 4 moons. It was just a shame my attempts at imaging them both times failed miserably. I just hope I can be third time lucky clear skies permitting.

[sanmatt]

I got my Explorer 200p scope a few days back, I'd just finished setting up the polarscope in the living room and noticed it was a clear night so rushed outside (tbh not expecting to see much as I didn't have time or vision (cloudy in the north), to polar align. In fact, the finder scope wasnt even aligned yet.

Anyway, I pointed it a bit opportunistically towards the general direction of Jupiter, found it easily with the finder scope and centred it, then switched to the main eye peice and found nothing (obviously), but did see a glow up in one corner so I adjusted the dec/ra accordingly and centred the blurry object, focussed it and Jupiter jumped out at me Back to the finderscope, centred that and now I have a centred finderscope and a nicely centred Jupiter.

I think i just lucked out here on my first attempt, I'd spent hours indoors convinced that it would be impossible to find anything without polar alignment and some frame of reference.

I switched from 25mm to 10mm and found I couldnt focus so switched to 25mm with 2x Barlow and there it was. Jupiter, showing two darker bands and 4 moons which I later discovered were Calisto out on its own, Europa closer in then IO, Ganymede together on the other side

Obviously I'll get out when I have some warmer clothes and better visibility but I'm so impressed on my first half assed attempt!

All this was on my patio, 1m outside my back door with quite a lot of background glow from the local houses, I guess things can only get better from here. Some more zoon would be handy, how come I couldn't focus my 10mm with 2x Barlow?

Also, damn, do things belt across the sky when you're close up, I went in to get the girlfriend and it had moved halfway across my finderscope!

Sorry to rant but I'm all excited now, just wish I wasn't freezing cold.

:hello2:

Not sure if I'm allowed to bump old threads but the OPs first experience is precisely my first experience the other night!

Trully marvellous it was. Though I didnt have the Barlow on.