Jupiter: "best" magnification, towards low or high values

[alex_stars]

Dear fellow stargazers,

I have been pondering a basic question. When we observe Jupiter (or planets in general), towards which magnifications should we generally aim:

1. As low as possible to still resolve the features we want to see (GRS, BA Oval, etc.)?
2. As high as possible to see the features we look for as large as possible in our eyepiece?

Often we instinctively aim for option 2 as we want large views, dreaming of images we saw on the net (e.g. HST).

However, with increased magnification we also magnify "seeing" conditions and thereby ruin our view. Also the exit pupil goes down (some, like me, have issues with floaters) and we loose sensitivity to contrast and colour. All these arguments would favour option 1. At least these are the arguments one reads in the forums.

So I was wondering what your options/experiences are? Looking forward to your comments.

CS,
Alex

[John]

I always tend to go for option 1 with Jupiter. It's features are defined by subtle tonal differences and seem to stand out more using lower magnifications to get a crisper and more contrasty image.

Under my normal range of seeing conditions I find that I get the best contrast on Jupiter using magnifications between 130x and 230x wheres with, say, Saturn or Mars, the range might be 180x-280x. 

My scopes range from 100mm to 300mm in aperture.

 

[Mr Spock]

I never go much beyond x200 on Jupiter with a 250mm. The features are so delicate they can easily become washed out.

[JAC51]

With 130mm I tend to use about x100 to about x180.

[Pete Presland]

I rarely use my 8mm (x293) on the planets, i find the view is much nicer at a lower magnification with more detail visible.

[Spile]

If conditions are ok I like to go between 150x and 200x. Higher still if it is high in the sky.

[Space Hopper]

3 minutes ago, Spile said:

If conditions are ok I like to go between 150x and 200x. Higher still if it is high in the sky.

I agree, and if you are indeed able to use those powers, you know its a decent night seeing wise.

[dweller25]

I find around x180 perfect in my 5” Refractor.

Edited January 23, 2022 by dweller25

[Mr niall]

It’s entirely subjective really.

For me, Jupiter is at its best around 80x, closely followed by about 30x. 
Although I’ve had some brill views at 200x, I just like 80x cos you can normally see sharp edges, clearly defined bands, but it’s still small enough to look “far away” and small in space, and has a couple of moons etc. 
but then I normally use smaller scopes.

For Saturn - looks incredible about 100x for me, for similar reasons.

For Mars though, high as physically possible, get a real buzz from making out polar ice caps and dark bands.

[cajen2]

I think a lot depends on the seeing conditions. On one of the clearest and most transparent nights I've observed in, Jupiter was gorgeous at only 70x mag: sharp outline and detailed surface. I've always found higher mags give a fuzzy ball effect, but when seeing is average, they may be needed to see any detail at all.

[John]

If you can observe Jupiter when there is still some daylight left in the sky, the contrast and colour tones are really enhanced. I've had some of my best views of the giant planet under such conditions.

 

[RobertI]

I generally use around the 180x - 200x mark on a typical night for planetary.  The exact magnification is determined by my limited range of eyepieces, so I haven’t been able to experiment much, but my 4” refractor plus BVs gives around 180x and is just about perfect on Jupiter and Mars, and my C8 with my 10mm Hyperion gives 200x and also seems to hit the sweet spot. 

[mikeDnight]

180X is a real magnification sweet spot for Jupiter, and it really doesn't matter which telescope or aperture you choose. You may get away with 200X but that will be an exceptional night. With Saturn its 200X to 250X when seeing allows. It's better to use less magnification and maintain a sharp view than over power it and lose definition.

[alex_stars]

Thanks everybody so far for the great answers. For me, I think I should experiment more on the lower magnification side (60x 120x) to see where my low magnification limit lies for the planets.

12 hours ago, John said:

If you can observe Jupiter when there is still some daylight left in the sky, the contrast and colour tones are really enhanced. I've had some of my best views of the giant planet under such conditions.

 

Good to know, will definitely try that. I guess this is in line with the idea that we actually don't want our eyes to dark adapt when we observe planets. Does anybody know more about that?

[mikeDnight]

Dark adaption isn't necessary for observing planets, but you still want to shield yourself from distractions such as bright lights hitting the eye from the side. What you do need to do though is to learn to relax and let your eye naturally scan the planet. There are areas on the retina that can detect very subtle detail, so that may mean looking slightly to one side as centre vision isn't usually that good, or at least mine isn't. 

[paulastro]

For me, it's always the highest magnification that gives the most detail in the prevailing conditions.

And of course, this often changes during the same observing session.

 

 

 

[dweller25]

15 hours ago, John said:

If you can observe Jupiter when there is still some daylight left in the sky, the contrast and colour tones are really enhanced. I've had some of my best views of the giant planet under such conditions.

 

Yes, good advice - I always try to do this

[dweller25]

@mikeDnight

TAKAHASHI  - Japan's cure for aperture fever!  

Great signature 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by dweller25

[IB20]

During this Jupiter season I was using between 80-106x most of the time in a 3” refractor. Could easily see shadow transits, barges, GRS, zones/bands. I remember one session where I can vividly recall seeing Ganymede transit against the planetary disc too. I never really found bumping up the magnification improved anything and always preferred sharpness over a softer view.

 

 

 

[niallk]

If Jupiter won't take my 8mm (240x), I often deem that it's just not really a particularly good night for observing planets, tbh.  On a very good night, I get to use my 6mm (15" dob).  On a very, very rare excellent night, the 2× PM comes out to play!  Of course low altitudes curb expectations.

If the jetstream forecast isn't favourable, I won't even try!  I give 2-3 hrs cooling if conditions look promising. 

I also like to drop the power too - using my 17E or N31T5 to get a 'wide field' view with the moons.

Edited February 5, 2022 by niallk

[tripleped]

I get my best Jupiter views at 170 ish with my 1200mm reflector. For me it’s about the same for Saturn.  

[bosun21]

For myself when observing Jupiter i always find myself in the range of 100x - 200x. I more often than not find that using my Baader zoom allows me to home in on the sweet spot much easier and faster than if I were using fixed fl eyepieces