Anyone tried the FLO field of view simulator?

[BeerMe]

http://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ 

 I put in the details of my scope and for Jupiter, since I've viewed it several times through my scope.  The screenshot attached is what the simulator is suggesting I should be viewing.  The reality is miles from that...much larger and clearer.

Anyone else tried this app before and what kind of results did it give you?

[JemC]

I have used it quite a lot and never had a problem with it,

[laudropb]

I have always found it to be quite accurate.

[FLO]

We used a fixed average size for planets in the FOV calculator so the size won't be 100% accurate as it will depend on the planets current position relative to Earth but, it should be close enough in most cases to be useful.

I've compared the details in our FOV simulator with the 12dstring one and the results are very similar:

 

I think they also use a fixed average size for Jupiter.

Are you certain you've selected the right eyepiece and equipment setup? I only ask because that combination gives 65x magnification, which isn't a lot when viewing Jupiter and the results you are seeing are roughly what I would expect.

 

[employee2-4601]

I find the FOV sim very good. It does make (slight) adjustments if you delete equipment from the list. I wanted to see if it was worth getting a 7 or 5mm EP for use with my Astromaster 130 and all the targets I've checked with it came back with encouraging results.

[BeerMe]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  Kinda surprised that I'm having these results...even my wife laughed and said No Way when I showed her what we were supposed to have seen.

Honestly....had I used this sim before buying my scope I wouldn't have gone with it as there is no way that the bands or anything else is visible on the 2 screenshots above, yet they are fairly clear through my scope even in my light polluted back garden.

Just to be sure....the EP I selected is the stock EP that comes with the 130p right?

[John]

The focal length of the stock eyepieces is 10mm and 25mm I think. You seem to have selected a 10mm eyepiece when you ran the simulation and that gives 65x magnification with your scope. The image would be the same scale whatever type of 10mm eyepiece you used although the overall extent / width of the view could vary depending on the specification of the eyepiece.

Despite it's small size in the eyepiece at 65x, you can see the main 2 cloud belts on Jupiter with a small scope at that power. 130x would produce a image that is 2x larger which makes seeing the surface details a little easier.

The simulation can show the size of the image but can't really simulate what detail you can actually see because that depends on many factors outside the capability of the simulator.

[FLO]

Bear in mind the simulator is designed to show you the field of view - i.e. how a particular object fits in the view of a particular equipment combination. It isn't designed to simulate what you will actually see visually - there are a lot more variables to consider for that such as your local seeing conditions, moonlight, light pollution, how dark adapted and sensitive your eyes are etc.. not to mention that the eye does a very good job of picking out more detail the longer you look at something.

 

[BeerMe]

Once again, thanks for the input folks.  The results are pleasantly surprising for me from the simulator... the actual looks better which is surely a good thing

I'll have to do some comparisons when I can get to view more things.