Achievable Magnification tonight?

[russp]

Looking thro a 127mm APO refractor (950mm focal length/f7.5)  tonight and using a 32 or 18mm eyepiece the view is superb - putting in a 9mm (giving just under 100x mag) and the detail on jupiter comes nicely into sharp focus, I could see the moon just about to transit and the bands stand out well but putting the 4.5mm in it's just a blurry mess that no amount of twiddling with the focus can correct. 

I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrorg, there's something not right with my scope/eyepiece (which are both new) or if tonight was just one of those nights when achieving 200x just isn't happening? the eyepieces are all high(ish) quality Meade 5000 HD-60's. I had similar experiences the last twice I tried using the high power eyepiece. Do I just need more experience and practice, to wait for good conditions or start looking for where my problem is?

Other than that had a good night with the highlight looking at the double cluster in Perseus, M81 & 82 (just indistinct blurs) and a few others from sky safari's best of the day list. 

Thanks

Russ

[Steve Ward]

The jetstream positioned directly over us would have severely hampered planetary detail I suspect ... http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=jetstream;sess=

[John]

I was using my ED120 refractor tonight. That normally handles 180x-225x on Jupiter well with sharp contrasty images. Not tonight though. Anything much above 120x was very mushy so I concluded that the seeing was poor and stuck to lower power viewing including the supernova in M82 which gave some nice views. 

It was just not the night for high magnification viewing   

[bendiddley]

I used a 7mm in my scope last night and got a good view of jupiter, 2 large bands in good focus. The 7mm gives me 180x. Tried the 5mm (240x) and it wasn't having it.

[Mr Spock]

That jetstream positioning just about knocks it on the head...

[Naemeth]

The jetstream positioned directly over us would have severely hampered planetary detail I suspect ... http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=jetstream;sess=

Looks like the jetstream will be getting in a more favourable position over the next few days .