The Great Red Spot.

[alan potts]

Hi everyone,

The topic subject, GRS, has it taken a winter break or something or am I just being unlucky? I have looked at Jupiter about 40 times in the last 3 months and not seen it once, not even in the 12 inch which will show it's colour. I think all of my instruments are big enough to show it and I never go mental with magnification, X150-200 depending on scope. My site is also as good as you could wish for.

So bad luck or holiday?

Alan.

[Bart]

Don't know Alan, haven't had a chance very lately to observe, but I have seen it many times in the last 3 months, with a few shadow transits thrown in

Yes, maybe you need a holiday, or maybe your EPs are too good, and you need to downgrade, I know a fella in Cork who'd take them off you for a pittance....

Barry

[earth titan]

I picked it up about a month ago (last clear spell) - so still there as far as I know.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

[cotterless45]

Just refer to something like this:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/skytel/beyondthepage/Great-Red-Spot-Transit-Table-2012-2013-159437655.html

With it's fast rotation you should enjoy the spectacle of the GRS transit right across the surface. It's quite obvious when available, although this year it's been the Great Pale Spot !

If you are showing a newbie then don't forget to tell them that the disc is 11 and the GRS is 3 Earth diameters across and they're looking 5 times our distance from the Sun,

Nick.

[Pete Presland]

it will be visible tonight the center of the Great Red Spot should cross Jupiter's central meridian, the imaginary line down the center of the planet's disk from pole to pole at around 8:06pm, also i think Io shadow should still be visible as well

[alan potts]

Weather is not looking that good for to-night but you never know, keeps trying to snow at the moment. Forecast is good for late afternoon tomorrow but the weather forecasting here is done in the pub, of that I am sure.

Well it is nice to know it is still there, I don't understand it I was always able to see it before. Two nights back I got one of the best view of the planet I had ever seen with the 190 M/N I could see about 7 belts with a clear line on North and South Polar regions using a Mag of X181 with the UWA 5.5mm.

Alan.

[earth titan]

Just watched a lovely Io shadow transit, with the GRS nice and central in the SEB.

Now a bit hazy, but generally good seeing.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

[jason.p]

Tried again tonight. Time given was 8.05 but I couldn't make it out despite looking for half an hour. I thought maybe being so close to the moon it was being washed out.

I was using the 8mm EP (150X) and could make out two bands, should I try with a higher mag? Would a filter help? Am I right in assuming the spot should appear at the top band on the right in my newt? How long does it take to cross the disc?

Thanks

Jason

[earth titan]

Tried again tonight. Time given was 8.05 but I couldn't make it out despite looking for half an hour. I thought maybe being so close to the moon it was being washed out.

I was using the 8mm EP (150X) and could make out two bands, should I try with a higher mag? Would a filter help? Am I right in assuming the spot should appear at the top band on the right in my newt? How long does it take to cross the disc?

Thanks

Jason

Hi Jason.

What scope were you using? My phone doesn't always show signatures so I'm unable to make a suggestion.

I've been able to pick it up tonight, with a C9.25 and an 11mm TV Plossl (about 200x) but that's with a 'planet killer' scope. More beige than red.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

[Moonshane]

if it's in view it's routinely visible in any of my scopes (6-16") so I guess it's bad timing Alan.

things to look for if any members have not seen it is a tailing off of the SEB and then the white 'bay' in which the spot sits. it's usually got some colour and I have regularly seen detail within it. I use magnifications from 100-250x on Jupiter, most often around 150-160x. I find a Baader Neodymium filter drags out a little more detail.

[steveb1977]

I saw the transit earlier but couldn't pick out the GRS. Three belts could be seen easily though. I just put it down the moon washing it out a bit or me not being prepared enough for the freezing cold so not sticking around long enough!

[rory]

i could make out the seb line that thins out as moonshane points out,with a small dark area above, as to weather thats the grs i dont quite know. the skies tonight were pretty poor.

this is what i managed to see.

[Moonshane]

the image here corresponds pretty well with your great sketch. you certainly had it in field.

[spurius]

I use an 8inch relfector at either 200 or 300 mag. I can only ever recall seeing 1 spot but it looked significantly darker than the surrounding atmosphere. Are other spots often visible through such scopes? Most of the time I usually see 3 distinctive bands but im slightly colour blind which dont help.

[earth titan]

I use an 8inch relfector at either 200 or 300 mag. I can only ever recall seeing 1 spot but it looked significantly darker than the surrounding atmosphere. Are other spots often visible through such scopes? Most of the time I usually see 3 distinctive bands but im slightly colour blind which dont help.

The GRS is very subtle. If it was significantly darker, my money would be on a shadow transit, caused ny one of the moon's.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

[jason.p]

Hi Jason.

What scope were you using? My phone doesn't always show signatures so I'm unable to make a suggestion.

I've been able to pick it up tonight, with a C9.25 and an 11mm TV Plossl (about 200x) but that's with a 'planet killer' scope. More beige than red.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

Thanks for reply. My scope is a TAL 2 1200 (f8)

[cotterless45]

"I use an 8inch relfector at either 200 or 300 mag. I can only ever recall seeing 1 spot but it looked significantly darker than the surrounding atmosphere. Are other spots often visible through such scopes? Most of the time I usually see 3 distinctive bands but im slightly colour blind which dont help. "

The belts and bands vary quite a lot. The belts rotate at different rates, dark spots and festoons can be seen from the edges of the belts. There are other fainter visible belts above the wide ones including an equatorial belt.

There has also been a smaller spot following the GRS , a gap around the GRS and a belt which flowed off the top of the GRS. In addition the colour has faded from last year . The changes are so dramatic that one belt disappeared for a year.

I use x150 with a Sw U H C filter, seeing conditions vary even over a few minutes.Really good nights will get x200.I see various hues of brown, also being slightly red/green colour blind.

If you use a Newt , then tight collimation using a Barlowed laser will tease out details. Tube flex and temperature change will affect collimation.

It's a wonderful night to view the transit of the moons, spots and belts,

Nick.

[webboid]

I had a brief session on Jupiter last night with my ST102 at 111x I was able to notice a notch in the EB where there GRS lives. Seeing was not good but it's position was inferred by the notch where the band appeared to thin. I also saw the shadow of Io then Io emerge from the limb. Rather nice but not very distinct. Earlier this year when seeing was very good I could make out some eddies around the GRS & some darkening within the GRS itself. I guess it is just a matter of conditions & knowing when it is visible. Keep trying Alan I'm sure you'll spot it soon.

[alan potts]

I got 45mins in which was a nice bonus, then things came over very English with white fluffy stuff. The time in UK time was 16 35hrs to 17.10 and I didn't see the GRS but I guess it would have been at the side making it's way around.

Seeing was stable with thin high cloud acting as a ND filter. I could see 3 main belts, one seem to have been missing now for a time, it is still there but not a prominant as it should be. I could also see clear lines at EQ and both poles.

All moons appeared as discs with no turbulance.

It is not looking good for tonight after all and it looked as if the weather had been in the pub.

Alan.

[scuffer]

I went out last night to have a look for this , I managed it but it was in and out , I could only make it out because I knew it was there , was at 200x , there was a black spot just to the left of it that is shown in the pictures in the link above ..... what was this , was it a shadow from one of the moons ? It seemed to track across jupiter at the same speed as the red spot so not sure if it was part of the cloud system or not.

[rory]

I went out last night to have a look for this , I managed it but it was in and out , I could only make it out because I knew it was there , was at 200x , there was a black spot just to the left of it that is shown in the pictures in the link above ..... what was this , was it a shadow from one of the moons ? It seemed to track across jupiter at the same speed as the red spot so not sure if it was part of the cloud system or not.

the shadow was quite dark and obviously round. heres an image of the transit ,might help you decide if it was the shadow of io you saw.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/178017-jupiter-grs-io-shadow-feb-18th/

[scuffer]

Yep , that was it , thanks

[Tiago]

Well, I only got 10 minutes worth of observing last night before clouds rolled in fast (7timer botched the prediction). However, int between the clouds the atmosphere was pretty stable. The moon was way up there, so no DSOs for me - I went straight to Jupiter. Very nicely defined equatorial belts, and the GRS too. By the time I was getting ready to image it, clouds rolled in (I was so absorbed I noticed the clouds screwing up the imaging first on the laptop rather than their presence in the sky, duh!)

[steveb1977]

I see the GRS will be transiting just before 10pm so will have another go, I'm sure I have seen it in this sized scope before. Have dug out a light blue filter so will see if that helps.

[Dunkster]

The GRS likes hiding in plain sight of late, at least in my grab and go (C8). Monday night my kit was in transit (between car boot and shed) with the dubious weather and high cloud, but I couldn't resist a quick peek and purely by chance the transit of Io's shadow was very sharp and sitting on its edge - the GRS was very pale by comparison. Belts were very obvious, colourful and crisp that night. In contrast, last night lacked the veil of cloud but wasn't giving up as much detail. Just reminds us we take our chances...