Jupiter, 070710, 6" F/9.5

[Astroman]

Had some time to kill tonight, and a break in the clouds, so I figured I'd try Jupiter with Rosie's 6" F/9.5 Newt. Aside from collimation being horrendous and the seeing being pants, I wanted to try out her scope and the cheep Celestron EP kit-something like 6 EP's and several filters for $99 I'd bought last year before the storm moved in from the east

At 0440 UT, (9:40 pm local), Jupiter shows 2 moons to the west and two to the east, with one on the east very close to the planet. I expect a transit in an hour or so, but have to sleep sometime. The 32mm Plossl shows the moons, several belts/zones and the occasional terrestrial cloud.

Moving up to the 15mm EP, one moon is lost, and patience in letting the scope settle down gives a nice view of the planet and 3 moons. Planet details are fairly constant, with the northern belt much more prominent than the south. No sign of the GRS, (which is actually pretty non-great at the moment.) The SEB is also nondescript, assuming the same relative color as the GRS of late. Subtle, and not easy.

The 9mm EP starts to show the other belts and zones, with all being detected, though intermittently. Have to wait for a cloud to pass, as I had too much dust and moisture for dinner, um, er, had some trouble finding Jupiter through the cloud.

Once cleared, however temporarily, and as lightning is seen not far to the east, I plugged in the 6mm Plossl EP. When allowed, detail abounds, with the planet very bright and all zones/belts seen. (That's 13 in all, for the uninitiated.) Some festoons are detected, but not steady, and the collimation problems become acute.

The 4mm EP is only used for a minute or less, as I begin to hear thunder in the distance, and the clouds thicken as Jupiter disappears.

I'll have to collimate this fine planetary Newt and give it another go ASAP. It's got great glass, and the cheep EP's worked reasonably well for the minimal investment.

[daz]

Good report AM!

Bet you were itching to get it collimated!!