Best setup for Jupiter details observing

[mislav]

So, what would be best setup for observing jupiter detalis? Telescope is 150/750 newtonian. Let's say that viewing conditions are ok. With 6mm eyepiece i can se some jupiter stripes, but everything is realy small. I tried 6mm +2x barlow and it is little bigger and better, but still small. I will try 6mm and barlow 3x. What do you think about that? That would be 375x magnification. Is it to much? (for 150mm newtonian)?

[dweller25]

Assuming your scope is well collimated and fully cooled....

Jupiter has quite low contrast so too much magnification will not help.

Typically in my 7" Mak I use x180 on Jupiter - that's a 4mm eyepiece in your scope.

A Baader Neodymium filter will help improve contrast.

[mislav]

4mm in my scope? so 6mm+barlow 2x would  be "bigger". So what can you se whit 180x? yes, it is realy facinating when you see so nice crisp picture, but it is soooo small. I just have feeling that more magnification would still be good "picture" quality. I dont know:(.. 

[Ibbo!]

x3 will i think be too much

wait till its gets a couple of hours above the horizon, sit down take your time and practice to get your eye in do a sketch as it helps you concentrate.

 

 

[mislav]

I was afraid that someone would say that.. but, i dont understand why would it be to much? would it be very blury? or?

[Ibbo!]

yes it will be blurry it will be so difficult to get a sharp focus as every time you touch the scope it will also magnify all the vibrations you will introduce as well.

it does take p[ractice to "see" through a telescope.

[John]

When a target is low in the sky you are viewing it through more atmosphere, more light pollution, more heating etc etc. When you use a scopeyou magnify these effects. Waiting for it to rise higher will give a clearer image. The problem is that the planets are quite low in the sky for the next couple of years.

With a 150mm scope, 150x should work well on Jupiter. Using more will probably not improve the view, possibly it will make the detail less distinct.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2017 by John

[mislav]

6mm with barlow 2x would be 250x?? I am pretty satisfied with view, there is no (very) much blur and vibrations.. This is not theme, but what about moon and bigger magnification?? I was looking jupiter after midnight, so it was preety best position that it can get in Zagreb. Saturn was just apearing low and was not good for watching.

[John]

You can often use high magifications when viewing the moon. Jupiter has subtle details on it's surface so very high magnifications, while showing a larger disk, don't help see the surface features. Last night I found 199x the best on Jupiter with my 300mm dobsonian. I have used 250x with that scope occasionally on Jupiter but most of the time a little lower magnification gives sharper and more contrasty views, which is what I prefer.

[Pondus]

4 hours ago, mislav said:

I tried 6mm +2x barlow and it is little bigger and better, but still small. I will try 6mm and barlow 3x. What do you think about that? That would be 375x magnification. Is it to much? (for 150mm newtonian)?

If you have good views of Jupiter at 250x, but still consider it small (nothing wrong With that ), you have :

Very good seeing conditions

Pushed Your Scope pretty much to its Maximum potential

and maybe a little too high expectations of how Jupiter will appear through a small  telescope placed 670,000,000km away from the planet?

 

[Swoop1]

I have a Skywatcher 150 Newtonian, much the same as yours with 10mm and 25mm eyepieces as stock plus a x2 Barlow. When observing Jupiter recently, I found that using the 10mm and Barlow allowed me to see some surface detail but, the 10mm alone allowed me to discern more. I think the 25mm and Barlow combination was quite good also. 

Relax at the eyepiece and allow your eye to adjust to the view. the detail is there, it just takes time for it to spring out. 

As for too small? I was blown away by what I could see. Perhaps a case of managing your expectations.

Good luck with whatever tactics you try. enjoy!

[mislav]

yes, maybe big expectations... so it seems that conditions are good where I am.. nice;).. I am pretty satisfied with 6mm+barlow x2... i asume that i was expecting same but little bit bigger... Lets say something like digital zoom...

[Paul73]

Jupiter is definitely a case of, "the more you look, the more you see".

Unfortunataly, it will never be huge in the eyepiece. The stability of your sky and the limitations of your scope determine the Max useful magnification. Sure, you can get a bigger disc, but you loose detail and gain fuzziness. In the UK between x150 & x200 are normal. In the middle of the outback, you can do more.

Paul

[rockystar]

1 hour ago, mislav said:

Lets say something like digital zoom

the problem with digital zoom, just like a telescope, is resolution - the more you zoom in, the less defined an image becomes

[JOC]

This SGL sticky might be worth a read

Even if you don't read all the text, scroll down and view the photos on page 1

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by JOC

[Jimtheslim]

Try not to get too obsessed with how 'large' the planet appears in the eyepiece. I used to be the same but learned that with good seeing conditions you'll be surprised just how much detail you can observe even when it looks 'small' using lower magnification. My finest and most satisfying session observing Jupiter with my 250mm reflector was with a 10mm eyepiece at x120 mag. I occasionally went up to x200 with my 6mm but seemed to just prefer it at x120. Despite being smaller I was able to pick out 3 large storm festoon areas in the Northern equatorial belt and the polar regions were clearly defined as were both the southern and northern temperate belts. It really is a case of the longer you look and don't impatiently keep swapping eyepieces, the more you start to see.

When the seeing conditions allow you pick up such detail you really do start to ignore the size of the planet in the eyepiece and just enjoy it. A lot of telescopes will boast ridiculously high magnification potential (ie up to x500 etc). But in reality you'll find that being able to go above x200 and hold any clear detail will be a very rare occasion.

Also, some people like barlow lenses and others don't. I don't own one and I must say it's something I have never had the urge to acquire for my reflector (I used to have one with my old refractor and don't miss it). A poor barlow lens will mean you are adding more glass elements into the light chain that might be degrading the image you are seeing.