1st time viewing Mars

[West End Wendy]

It's taken me over a year of being a telescope-owner to look at Mars through it for the first time.

I knew it was a difficult subject, but I was surprised just how affected it was by poor seeing. Even after 45 mins cool-down (usually plenty with my little refractor) it was fluctuating alarmingly in and out of focus.

What was really striking was how much less affected Saturn was. Same conditions, roughly the same part of the sky, but a significantly more rewarding viewing experience.

Tim

[Peter Drew]

The smaller the astronomical image is, the more it is affected by the seeing, compare the Moon to a star for instance. At the moment, Mars gets better as the magnification increases but this of course brings other difficulties. It will be much better in the Spring.

[West End Wendy]

Thanks Peter. Good info and advice.