Jupiter 18/11 and some unexpected clear sky

[Mr Spock]

The forecast didn't look good with Clear Outside red across the board. I was about to watch TV for the evening but looked out about 7:30 and saw Jupiter shining bright and clear. So I decided to put the 4" out to cool.

Observing started around 8:00pm in less than ideal conditions. Transparency was poor with a distinct haze high up so I could only see the brightest stars. There were also occasional light clouds though not particularly troublesome. Seeing was below average with 'fuzzyness' rather than tremor.

I started out with the 22mm LVW for x34 just to get a sighter. Even at that low magnification the two main belts were very clear. The moons were resplendent with Callisto way off to the left (W), then Ganymede and Europa closer together in between Callisto and Jupiter; Io was on its own to the right. A lovely sight. Ganymede was a distinct disk at higher magnification, the others less so.; you need better seeing for that kind of view.

Switching to the 5mm LVW for x148 I could see clear detail, moving up the magnification scale just provided a fuzzier view, so I mainly stuck to x148 for the night. I did try the new 3.5mm LVW v the 3.3mm TOE in a steadier moment and the view through each was similar. Though I noted both the 3.3 and 4mm TOEs suffered from flare which distracted from the view a little.

At x148 there was a complex dark 'knot' feature in the centre of the NEB. On the whole the NEB had a lot of complexity to it with numerous smaller features. Also some minor festoons extending towards the middle of the EZ. At this time the GRS was just peeking around the east limb. To the north the NTB was visible, though not as clear as on other nights. Above that there was a small gap then the darker north polar region which had muddled detail. The SEB was a little plainer at this time and the SSTB quite indistinct.

I had a short break around 9:00 for some supper and a coffee. The main aim was to show a little patience in waiting for the GRS to come dead centre, which it did around 9:30.

Still at x148 the GRS, dead centre,  was a lovely pale red. There was a gap above with a sort of 'eyebrow' above that. Off to the left (W) was some complexity with light and dark areas extending quite a way. I saw what looked like a pale spot in the SSTB but it wasn't clear. The dark 'knot' like feature in the NEB had moved a long way round by now but was still detailed.

Shortly after that the wind started getting up and there was a fair bit more cloud coming across and interfering with observing, so I called it a night. The sky did clear again later but by this time the wind was gusting up to 50 mph! All in all, despite the poor outlook, it turned out to be a very enjoyable night. I hope there are more nights to come as Jupiter watching is a totally fascinating and absorbing pastime!

[Ed in UK]

Nice Report, gives  me come confidence and hopefor the future. The GRS is a something I want to see and to be able to observe a transit would be great, detail in belts would be mind blowing for me.

After my view of Jupiter last night it left me qusetioning if my 4" was going to be capable of letting me see that. But after reading your report here it inspires me to get more time at the eyepiece and hopefully unlock these views.

I struggle with focusing with on greater magnifications but I guess time and experience will help me develope that skill.

Thanks for reporting.