Jupiter for the first time

[dazza5232]

Just got to look at Jupiter for the first time with my 10mm and 3x Barlow I'm well chuffed I got to see some bands. just wondering what I need to see it better.

Got a celestron 130 eq.

[Vox45]

Your scope has a maximum magnification (theoretical) of 260x

In your case you were around 195x so you have a little extra room for magnification. You would also need very good conditions to achieve higher magnification.

for more on this I would refer to this article

"a rule often mentioned is the "sixty power per inch" rule. Never use an eyepiece that will magnify more than 60 times for every inch of aperture. In other words, 240x is the highest you should use in a 4-inch telescope, while 480x is the highest in an 8-inch telescope. But this also assumes that the telescope and eyepiece are optically perfect and that "seeing" - the measure of how steady the Earth's atmosphere appears - is calm. Many nights may only let you use 30x per inch, or even 20x. The best advice is to increase magnification until the image brightness and sharpness begin to deteriorate."

Clear skies

[dazza5232]

Thanks for the advice I will take a look at that article and see if it can help me a little more.

[Grotemobile]

I have got a 4" refractor,& a mag of 180, seems to be about

the max for mine.45x per inch.Any more & the image  starts

to look soft.

Steve.

[dazza5232]

Thanks just trying to get it a little bigger that might come as I learn more.

[John]

Jupiter does not really respond well to ultra high magnifications as much as some other targets such as the Moon, Saturn or Mars do. I find the sharpest and most contrasty views of Jupiter are had at around 150x - 180x. A little more with my 12" scope perhaps but pressing on really high magnfications seems to result in the surface features becoming washed out and indistinct.

The best way to get improved views of the planets is to keep observing them and to stick at it for reasonably long periods. Your eye seems to gradually "tune in" and the more subtle details start to emerge. After, say, 60 minutes observing, there is often a lot more detail visible than when you first looked at the planet. I really can't stress the need for this enough when chasing the best views of the planets.

[dazza5232]

Thanks John I'm all set up for a good session tonight as I have a nice clear sky again and hope to get some good views in.

[John]

Its worth waiting until it's well above the horizon before observing too. Less of our messy atmosphere to spoil the views when the planet is high in the sky.

[dazza5232]

Yea it was quite high up last night when I was looking it was about half 1 I get a great deal out the back of my house but I'm not to far from the northumberland national park so I head might be heading up that way tonight.

[-Aldebaran-]

I found I had better crisp detail out of Jupiter using my 24mm Maxvision than I did using the 14mm, the seeing conditions are a large factor when upping the mag.

[dazza5232]

I'm just getting a telescope so I'm just learning but I'm slowly getting there got two lenses that came with it and a 3x Barlow not to sure on what's the best lenses.

[phoobar]

Hi dazza

I had great views of Jupiter tonight down to effectively 8mm (using 16mm in a 2x barlow) I also barlowed the 10mm to 5mm but it became too washed out most of the time. 

What equipment have you got?

[Charic]

Reading a new article today, it suggests a 2mm exit pupil as being optimal for astro observations?

That said, your F-650 telescope should give you an exit pupil of 2mm when just using the 10mm eyepiece.

However the conditions for seeing need to be very good, If the Stars twinkle, then not so good? Also note that the supplied eyepieces with our telescopes don't always offer the best views that the  telescope is capable of producing. Some folk will invest in better  quality eyepieces, but the telescope, the eyepiece, the conditions and your own eyesight all have to be in tune.

I just choose the eyepiece that best frames my subject, giving the clearest/sharpest image. As John points out, its a waiting game with Jupiter. The longer you watch and observe, the more you should see, under the right conditions.

[phoobar]

Sorry dazza I just re-read your post. The 10mm  will probably be best. If the seeing is very good you could try the 20mm in the barlow

[Carina Lass]

Jupiter is a beautiful target and one that sticks in your mind much like saturn.

Contrast is so important.

A very dark night with an ed 102mm ramped up to 200x is spectacular. Like looking at a jewel under a microscope.

[dazza5232]

Thanks for all the advice everyone got some good views of it again last night taking onboard everything that you's have said.

[Paul73]

I managed some cracking Jupiter views on Monday night at x240. It took some work though! Fleeting glimpses of real texture and the brick orange Great Red Spot.

John is spot on with old adage of "the longer you look - the more you see".

Paul

[StarSapling]

Time at the eyepiece!  Regardless of what instrument is used, the more you observe Jupiter (or any object for that matter), the more you will see.  From what first appeared as simply a flattened disk with two equatorial belts, will appear the temperate belts, detail in the polar regions and the equatorial belts and, of course, moon shadows and the GRS.

I have seen much more Jupiter detail recently, with my little 90mm, than in the previous 25 years, using my 250mm - simply because I have spent much more time observing Jupiter with the 90mm. 

[ghebert]

This is the best Jupiter I've gotten so far.

-Garret-

Sent from my iPad