jupiters spot ?

[cwesley1]

just wondering has anybody seen jupiters spot and if so with what kit?

[Parus major]

I've seen it, and strangely enough with a Skywatcher Explorer 150PL, which is the "Newtonian" version of what you have. My eyepiece was a Celestron 6mm Omni plossl. I tried it at the time with the stock SW barlow but saw less detail.

[Ags]

I've seen it a couple of times with my 102mm mak... Occasionally some color is visible (salmon pink) but more often it is a low-contrast hollow in the SEB.

[Stu]

Certainly seen it with a variety of kit, smallest being a 66mm refractor but should be visible easily in a 6" newt. Check out stellarium or other apps which tell you when it is visible and give it a go.

Note that it is very pale at the moment, there are other features called barges which are smaller, darker and probably more obvious. They are in the northern belt whereas the GRS is by the southern belt.

Stu

[John]

The smallest scope I've seen it with is an 80mm refractor but that was a few years back when the spot was better defined than it is just now. This time around I've spotted it a couple of times with a 102mm refractor and often with a 120mm refractor. The spot is not always on "our" side of the planet of course. I find 150x - 180x the most effective magnification for resolving details on Jupiter.

[hunterknox]

Pays to make sure it's around first http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/3304091.html?page=1&c=y

[Stevie816]

I would only repeat what bigmak wrote,the GRS is actually quite pale. Find out exactly when it is visible and be patient it,s a big very feint spot now.

Good seeing the right time and patience. Once you have seen it it gets easier

Took me about three months until finally I got it !

Steve

[cwesley1]

how long dose it take for jupiter to make 1 full turn?

[lukebl]

As others have said, check when it's visible. Jupiter rotates at a phenomenal rate (less than 10 hours), so the features move rapidly across the disc and the GRS will only be visible at certain times.

[cwesley1]

thanks hunterknox just worked out how to use your link, very usefull.

[twotter]

I've seen it just the once in my 200P dob. The light salmon pink colour was a bit of a surprise....Great Red Spot indeed (false advertising I call it ).

[cwesley1]

ye false advertising indeed ha. didnt the spot used to be bright red though at one time? i think i need to get a new eyepiece before i see it anyway, ive still only got the standard 10mm which is naf and the 25mm which is ok but not enough mag

[kniclander]

I would add that it's best when its right in the middle of jupiter or about an hour either side. so you've got about a two hour window every 10 hours

[Caldwell 14]

I saw it a few nights ago with my 4 inch refractor.

[Catweazel]

I find 150x - 180x the most effective magnification for resolving details on Jupiter.

That's interesting John, I just got a TMB 7mm for my Evostar 120, and I think that gives me 143x. Do you think that a 6mm @167x would make enough difference in terms of detail to make it worth another purchase I find 5mm is a bit much on my scope, blink and it's gone

[assasincz]

I have seen GRS multiple times with my 4.5" reflector. On nights of good seeing, it is almost like somebody has bitten off a bit of the equatorial belt, very clear and distinct, pink-ish in colour. Blue filter helps, but not as significantly as you would think. With a bit of patience, I reckon you will be able to stop it even with small aperture refractors.

[faulksy]

i have seen it a few times with my scope with varying magnification.but as said it is salmon colour. you should easily spot the black barges though

[tich]

I saw it for the first time last Friday night through my scope I did a little bit of enhancing with registax & came up with a lovely image........My avatar is of that very image I'm well chuffed.