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Jupiter 'smudge'

fredbloggsXIII

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fredbloggsXIII

fredbloggsXIII

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I was taking a look at Jupiter in the early hours of this morning (UK) and could see what I can only describe as a 'smudge' to the North of it. I thought it could have been on the eyepiece but after giving it a quick clean the smudge was still there. It also moved out of view when moving the scope. Does anyone know what this was? I am using a Skywatcher 130P with its packaged 25mm eyepiece.

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Qualia

Qualia

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Ay, it sounds like you spotted the Great Red Spot, which really isn't that 'great' and isn't that Red. More like a pale, pink slodge in my 4". Other than that, there is another curious peak-splodge which is to Jupiter's north on the North Tropical Zone and this one is more a brownish colour. It's not an observing guide, Fred, but you may like this little piece of software.

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fredbloggsXIII

fredbloggsXIII

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I think it stayed in more or less the same position, even after Jupiter had moved closer to ground level. Would this still be the case in the ghost image scenario? It is things like this I need to understand better really, am I really looking at something? haha

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knobby

knobby

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Also, as a side note, I am unable to see any detail on Jupiter, just a white disk. Should I be able to see anything else?

you need good seeing conditions and sharp focus to see any detail on Jupiter, take your time and keep tweaking focus slightly until the moons look like pin pricks.

Also dont forget that reflector type scopes need to cool to match the surrounding air temp to be at peak performance

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John

John

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You should see at least a couple of cloud belts across Jupiters disk I would think. The smallest scope shows those plus the 4 brightest moons of the giant planet. Perhaps your focus was not spot on - the disk will look at it's smallest when the focus is sharp.

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fredbloggsXIII

fredbloggsXIII

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The moons definitely look like little pin pricks, they are very distinct though. As I said, the sky was relatively clear but there was some light cloud cover. I have mostly used the 25mm eyepiece as I wasnt having any joy with the 10mm to start with. I did manage to see the moon through the 10mm last night but as it was coming on for 4am, I decided to try and get some sleep!

Once again, thanks for the advice, I am picking things up as I go along and will watch out for things like Ghosting and use the stellarium more to help me pin point what things may be.

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Also, as a side note, I am unable to see any detail on Jupiter, just a white disk. Should I be able to see anything else?

Oh yes. Even in quite ghastly conditions, with less magnification and a smaller scope, you should at least be able to make out that Jupiter has a couple of bands on it. YOu need to check your focus and, possibly, your collimation.
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nephilim

nephilim

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Ah, I didnt get all the details then, so unless the the storm has left Jupiter & taken up residence in its orbit, then no it wasnt the GRS. :rolleyes: As for what ur able to see with ur scope, I've got the 130m version of it, ur's has the parabolic mirror which is slightly better, with the supplied 25mm EP I can make out the 4 moons & 2 faint bands on the planet itself, the supplied 10mm EP in my opinion (and of a few others i'v heard say) is naff, I upgraded to a much better quality 9mm (Meade HD-60 9mm) and can easily see 2 bands & when the seeing is good, a couple more, i'm also able to jst make out the GRS when its in view, but as Qualia above mentioned it doesnt stand out very well & there's no detail. I learned (on here) fairly early on that the more u observe something the more detail can be 'squeezed' out, it just takes time & ur eyes must be dark adapted. Btw I think u need to reach 250 posts until u can edit ur posts, tho I may be wrong there?? Good luck & i'm sure with more practise you'll soon be seeing more!! Just an afterthought but have u checked the collimation of ur scope as that can effect your seeing greatly?.

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Matt Scunthorpe

Matt Scunthorpe

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The moons definitely look like little pin pricks, they are very distinct though. As I said, the sky was relatively clear but there was some light cloud cover. I have mostly used the 25mm eyepiece as I wasnt having any joy with the 10mm to start with. I did manage to see the moon through the 10mm last night but as it was coming on for 4am, I decided to try and get some sleep!

Once again, thanks for the advice, I am picking things up as I go along and will watch out for things like Ghosting and use the stellarium more to help me pin point what things may be.

Through the 25mm EP, its probably not enough magnification to show any real detail on the planet. The 10mm should show the planets banding though.

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Qualia

Qualia

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This sketch should offer a general idea of what to expect in a small telescope. When atmospheric conditions permit, one should be able to tweak out Jupiter's characteristic cream and rust colour, festoons around or within the main equatorial belts and the Great Red Spot. The Jovian moons should be pin-sharp and bright, like high magnitude stars only bigger and moving faster.

jupiterq.png

The following sketch was made last night with a 6B and 4B pencil from a city roof top with a full moon chasing. It was completed in under 10 minutes and as can be appreciated the scale of the planet itself and the positioning of the belts are out but I think it gives a general idea of what a small 4" is capable of.

jupiterquicksketch.png

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nephilim

nephilim

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Some people like barlows and some dont, with everything in this hobby make sure if you get one it's one of decent quality , I use one http://www.firstlightoptics.com/revelation-astro/revelation-astro-25x-barlow.html and find it good to use but if the EP's ur using with it arn't good quality then the resulting image will just be twice as poor, the stock 25mm Skywatcher is fine to barlow (for me anyway) but I found the 10mm poor ( I also got both with my scope) i up graded to a good quality 9mm & it barlows very well. If it were me then yes get one, others may have a different opinion.

Steve

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