First time Planets...

[scotty38]

As the sun was getting low this evening I thought I'd have a look for Venus through the gaps in the clouds and eventually there it was but disappeared pretty quickly. I persevered  scanning around until it appeared again and after a while managed to spot Mercury following up behind.... I eventually got the scope out but Venus was below the horizon now and couldn't see much of Mercury either as it was pretty low too but was my first time so all good... Just packing up and ISS shoots across the sky....

[John]

Well done for seeing both !

Mercury in particular is only easily visible during quite short windows of time and is never high in the sky.

I managed to have a look with my 100mm scope a couple of nights back and could just about make out the phase of the planet but it's disk is small - just 8 arc seconds in apparent diameter.

[scotty38]

6 hours ago, John said:

Well done for seeing both !

Mercury in particular is only easily visible during quite short windows of time and is never high in the sky.

I managed to have a look with my 100mm scope a couple of nights back and could just about make out the phase of the planet but it's disk is small - just 8 arc seconds in apparent diameter.

Thanks and I may set the scope up in readiness tonight depending on the weather. I still think it's my eyes that are the limiting factor for me as the views in my binoculars were better than my scopes. In fairness I spent maybe an hour or so with the bins before I got the scope out so maybe I'd left them to get too low. There was no way I was getting anything like you saw but will persevere....

[John]

1 hour ago, scotty38 said:

Thanks and I may set the scope up in readiness tonight depending on the weather. I still think it's my eyes that are the limiting factor for me as the views in my binoculars were better than my scopes. In fairness I spent maybe an hour or so with the bins before I got the scope out so maybe I'd left them to get too low. There was no way I was getting anything like you saw but will persevere....

Because they are low in the sky, they are made additionally difficult to observe because we are looking through so much atmosphere.

I snapped this pic of Mercury this time last year using my mobile phone held with a clamp against the scope eyepiece. Much enlarged, you could just about make out the phase of the planet back then. The simulated view is from the Virtual Planet Atlas software which confirmed the phase at that time. In the eyepiece of the scope Mercury looked quite a lot smaller than this:

 

[scotty38]

Yes agreed and I keep telling myself, it's too low, it's cloudy, it's too bright, the seeing is poor but I know my low light vision is not what it could be. I keep at it though in the vain hope of one evening saying to myself "Wow, it wasn't my eyes after all" 🤣

i think that that is why, when I started all this in January-ish, I favoured imaging even though I've subsequently acquired kit for visual too.....

[oscar_camilleri]

Jupiter and Saturn are also visible at the moment, but currently they are early morning planets,  Best viewing time will be between 3.30am to around 4.30 am , where they will be well clear of the horizon and its still a bit dark.  Just look for the very bright yellow star in the SE direction and you've located Jupiter.  Saturn will be in the 2 o' clock position from Jupiter by around 30 to 40 degrees to the right.  Look for a prominent blueish star. 

Depending on the scope you have and viewing conditions, you should be able to clearly see Jupiter and its 4 moons, maybe even some banding and the red spot.  Same on Saturn, you should be able to resolve the shape and rings, not sure about the Cassini Division at this time. Myself I couldn't resolve it with my 8" SC , but weather conditions haven't been that good and I have street lights blaring full on from my view point. 

[scotty38]

Thanks, I keep thinking about getting up early for these 🙂

 

Or is it staying up late, I'm not quite sure.....

Edited May 18, 2021 by scotty38

[oscar_camilleri]

1 hour ago, scotty38 said:

Thanks, I keep thinking about getting up early for these 🙂

 

Or is it staying up late, I'm not quite sure.....

At the moment its early for me. Usually if weather appears to be nice, I set the alarm for 3am.  Go have a quick look through the window and if I can see Jupiter and clear skies , ill go and setup in the front garden and usually am ready by 3.30am, stay till around 4.30 which currently is when dawn starts coming into force.  All packed and back in bed by 5. Sleep till 7 and then up and ready for the usual daily routine.

[Sabalias]

6 minutes ago, oscar_camilleri said:

At the moment its early for me. Usually if weather appears to be nice, I set the alarm for 3am.  Go have a quick look through the window and if I can see Jupiter and clear skies , ill go and setup in the front garden and usually am ready by 3.30am, stay till around 4.30 which currently is when dawn starts coming into force.  All packed and back in bed by 5. Sleep till 7 and then up and ready for the usual daily routine.

If I woke fully at 3 in the morning I'd not get back to sleep at all. A few nights of that and I'd not be able to set up my electric toothbrush, let alone my mount and scope 🤣

[oscar_camilleri]

6 minutes ago, Sabalias said:

If I woke fully at 3 in the morning I'd not get back to sleep at all. A few nights of that and I'd not be able to set up my electric toothbrush, let alone my mount and scope 🤣

Easy when you have what one might class as a hyperactive 5yo who is constantly after you attention all day long. trust me , you will learn how to sleep with our eyes open and nod you head at her questions at the same time 🤣

[Sabalias]

2 minutes ago, oscar_camilleri said:

Easy when you have what one might class as a hyperactive 5yo who is constantly after you attention all day long. trust me , you will learn how to sleep with our eyes open and nod you head at her questions at the same time 🤣

Those days are long gone for me; however, they may be in my future if either of my kids have children of their own.

[oscar_camilleri]

Good Thing is that currently she is learning about space and the planets at school, so daddy's knowledge has come very handy.  She really wants to see Jupiter and Saturn, but weather has been absolutely rubbish this month.  Still waiting for a weekend with clear morning skies ( then its go to bed by 5pm for her and and then get mum to bring her down at 4am)