Jupiter

[domstar]

Oh Jupiter.The first thing I managed to see (apart from our moon)  9th March this year. And still the best. Imagine that 500 years ago nobody had ever seen those moons.

[StarJane]

...and those 4 moons can be seen with binoculars on a clear night...even in the city.

[cloudsweeper]

Saw him yesterday morning for the first time in months.  It was real thrill to see his little entourage of moons again!

Doug.

[kilix]

On 21. 12. 2016 at 20:47, StarJane said:

...and those 4 moons can be seen with binoculars on a clear night...even in the city.

or through an inexpensive 40€ 6x30 finderscope. Makes me wonder if people 400years in the future will have their personal inexpensive 40€ Hubble Space Telescopes?

[BRUN]

when will I be able to see Jupiter, is it only certain months of the year

[cloudsweeper]

24 minutes ago, BRUN said:

when will I be able to see Jupiter, is it only certain months of the year

Currently in the south, highest at 4.00am, but still visible of course either side of this time.

Enjoy!

Doug.

[rockystar]

25 minutes ago, BRUN said:

when will I be able to see Jupiter, is it only certain months of the year

It's currently visible in the early hours of the morning, from about 2 or 3 am. Come the end of March it should be visible from about 11pm and it will continue to rise earlier and earlier. It'll be visible in the evening sky until about August (i think, without looking it up).

[BRUN]

im already up at 5am to go the gym, so ill have to wait until its visible at more like 10pm 

[Grotemobile]

Hi. I took this about a month ago. Seeing was not very good. Just about make

out the bands on the planet. Taken about 2am. Hopefully will get a better

view , as time goes on. 

[JOC]

I found it was high enough above the horizon to just catch at about 10pm two nights ago, but I am in the countryside and providing its above the level of a hedgerow I've got nothing in the way.  Now I've found it have me eye in I want a better view.  What I have been wondering, as it is a gas giant rather than a huge chunk of rock, even in good conditions does it always have a 'fuzzy' outline rather than the crisp edge of something like mars or even the moon (though I appreciate the moon is hugely closer)?

[cloudsweeper]

2 hours ago, JOC said:

I found it was high enough above the horizon to just catch at about 10pm two nights ago, but I am in the countryside and providing its above the level of a hedgerow I've got nothing in the way.  Now I've found it have me eye in I want a better view.  What I have been wondering, as it is a gas giant rather than a huge chunk of rock, even in good conditions does it always have a 'fuzzy' outline rather than the crisp edge of something like mars or even the moon (though I appreciate the moon is hugely closer)?

Yes, Jupiter is a "soft" and gaseous object and even if you tease more detail out of it, it will not show the degree of sharpness of say the Moon.  Still a fascinating target though, and given the right conditions, you can see belts, spots, festoons, etc..

Doug.

[JOC]

3 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Yes, Jupiter is a "soft" and gaseous object and even if you tease more detail out of it, it will not show the degree of sharpness of say the Moon.  Still a fascinating target though, and given the right conditions, you can see belts, spots, festoons, etc..

Doug.

That's great Doug many thanks, that's the confirmation I needed.  If sharpness isn't to be expected then I can accept that I will only get to a certain level of focal sharpness without thinking there is something wrong with my equipment!  I did see a tantalising hint of two stripes in the limited look we got at it on Thursday so I have high hopes over the next Month or so.

[cloudsweeper]

12 minutes ago, JOC said:

That's great Doug many thanks, that's the confirmation I needed.  If sharpness isn't to be expected then I can accept that I will only get to a certain level of focal sharpness without thinking there is something wrong with my equipment!  I did see a tantalising hint of two stripes in the limited look we got at it on Thursday so I have high hopes over the next Month or so.

Turbulence (poor seeing) is the big problem, and viewing Jupiter when he's low (through much atmos).  Two belts are usually easy, four not so difficult, and the Great Red Spot (when it's on show) is often manageable.

Have fun!

Doug.

[Stu]

With patience and good seeing, quite a lot of detail is possible. This is an iPhone shot through my scope last year I think. The visual view is far better than this, but it gives a hint at what's possible. In this picture you can see a number of belts, two moons (one just peeping out from behind the planet) and the shadow of one of the moons on the surface.

[Lance Bridwell]

I was 64 when I bought my first scope, stayed frustrated for 2 years, bought another scope, now I feel like

I won the lottery,  having more fun than I care to remember. I saw Jupiter with three of its moons. Fantastic!

Good viewing to you.

[Markh68]

As it was clear this morning I thought I would have a look at Jupiter shining brightly. I set my scope up and was amazed at the view it was the first planet I have observed. I got quite good detail several of the bands and colouring and could see two of its moons. I was gob smacked cannot wait to get a view of Saturn.

[John]

The sort of detail that I can see with my ED120 refractor at around 180x-200x on a decent night is similar to the sketch (not mine !) below. With my 12" when seeing is steady I see a bit more detail in the belts and a few more barges, eddies, ovals and other features. The 2nd pic below illustrates the features on the Jovien surface to look out for. My 12" dob will show a similar view to the 2nd pic on a really good night at around 220x-260x.

Pics added to next post !

 

 

 

[John]