Childhood Planetary Dreams Fulfilled

[SuburbanMak]

A super session tonight on Saturn and Jupiter with an antique Clarkson 3 inch and a modern Mak 127. 
 

Spent a lovely hour or so earlier looking at the gas giants, now reasonably high in the SE, with my new-to-me 120 year old Clarkson 3 inch refractor. It was a particular thrill to get great views of Jupiter, the four Galilean moons and clear visibility of the main equatorial bands and wonder who has peered at them down this venerable  old tube before me. 

Even more so using a John Browning-engraved eyepiece that dates from a little earlier.  Incredibly narrow fov and I estimate around 8mm focal length. A bit lacking in contrast but pin sharp across the field nevertheless. A pea-shooter extraordinaire, but very special to watch Saturn, rings clearly defined, & (I think) Titan drift across the field. 
  
Seeing was a little boily  to begin with but with altitude and time, steadied to the point where I couldn’t resist switching in the SW Mak 127 with its modern  optics and greater aperture for a closer look. 
 

What followed were the best views I have had so far of Saturn & Jupiter. I switched across  Baader Classic Ortho 18, 10 & 6mm, all with a Neodymium and then UHC filter. Best views tonight were with the 10mm giving 150x in the Mak 127. 

 The UHC gives a weird green cast but pulls out a ton of detail, convincing me that I was in fact able to see the GRS on Jupiter (lower L side in RACI view) along with 5 or 6 Cloud bands. I found it quite a challenge to look away from the very prominent N equatorial band, which is so dominant, to pick up other detail but over time got used to registering features elsewhere on the disc. 
 

Dropping the filter gives a more pleasing colour balance and certainly, some of the bands and the GRS are more perceptible once you know they’re there. (The GRS though was neither as G nor R as I’d expected and had I not previously had the filtered, high- contrast view, I don’t think I would have been sure I’d seen it.)
 

Saturn yielded 2 cloud bands in the Northern hemisphere and the Cassini division more often than not, which is the best I’ve seen so far. Also could, I think, see 3 moons - although will check in Stellarium that one or more weren’t background stars. 
 

When I was 11 and had my Tasco 40mm, this was what I dreamed of seeing - stripey planets complete with storms, rings and moons.  
 

I know that there are probably better views yet to be teased from my current gear, sky conditions weren’t that great tonight but nevertheless an epic night that I will always remember. 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by SuburbanMak

[dave34]

Sounds like you had a great session at the eyepiece, Well done.