Early Morning Gas Giants...

[Guest]

So, I decided to revisit the gas giants this morning - between 3.30am and 4am.

Jupiter was quite bright, even low down and in the pre-dawn light. At  magnification 48x the disk was clearly visible, surrounded by the 4 Jovian moons. I could start to make out some very faint orange bands, which were nearly aligned with the 3 closest satellites. 

Moving up to 120x, I could more easily seen the orange bands. There appeared to be 2 of them, from what I could see. Still, they were faint. 

Just for fun, I tried higher magnifications of 150x and 375x. I could make out the disk at 150x, with the 2 orange bands. At 375x, the disk was there, but as expected, it was quite dim and unremarkable - to the point of being hopeless to look at. I think once higher in the sky later in the year, it may be better placed for the higher magnifications. 

Turning to Saturn, the disk and rings could just about be made out at 48x magnification. Moving up to 120x magnification made the rings and disk more visible. After trying both the higher magnifications just for the sake of it, I settled back to 120x, as this gave the best view. Again, I think later in the year and higher in the sky will make a big difference in viewing, as it's certainly dimmer than Jupiter at the moment. 

Smartphone images taken in less than ideal circumstances. Jupiter at 48x magnification and Saturn at 120x magnification, against LP from backdoor lights. 

Time to go back to bed...