Observing jupiter

[phantomgod_06]

Hello everyone! I recently observed Jupiter through my telescope and even though i focused it i wasn't able to see the colours/details properly. If anyone can share any solutions to this pls lmk!

[John]

Could you tell us a bit about the scope you were using and the eyepiece / magnification you were using ?

Some info about your observing location, local time, observing conditions, what you did actually see etc, etc would help as well.

There are lots of reasons why you might have been getting sub-par views but more information will help tie down what could be specifically causing your issues.

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by John

[Bugdozer]

One thing to bear in mind - Jupiter looks a lot paler to the eye than you see in photos, and the contrast between the cloud bands is lower. It takes some getting used to but the more you observe it, the more detail you will be able to see. In particular the Great Red Spot is actually quite a pallid salmon pink these days, not the huge dark blob of a few decades ago. 

[phantomgod_06]

5 hours ago, John said:

Could you tell us a bit about the scope you were using and the eyepiece / magnification you were using ?

Some info about your observing location, local time, observing conditions, what you did actually see etc, etc would help as well.

There are lots of reasons why you might have been getting sub-par views but more information will help tie down what could be specifically causing your issues.

 

I used the normal scope i got with the telescope for general viewing i believe, the place where i observe is pretty light polluted, i saw it as a bright spot of white rather than the normal colours you would expect to see, although i did focus it.

[phantomgod_06]

1 hour ago, Bugdozer said:

One thing to bear in mind - Jupiter looks a lot paler to the eye than you see in photos, and the contrast between the cloud bands is lower. It takes some getting used to but the more you observe it, the more detail you will be able to see. In particular the Great Red Spot is actually quite a pallid salmon pink these days, not the huge dark blob of a few decades ago. 

ohhh okay, i was actually expecting to see a lot more detail so i think i just had my hopes up lol

[dweller25]

@phantomgod_06

I think you are using a 127mm Newtonian with a focal length of 1000mm ?

If so your scope should be showing the major bands on Jupiter.

For best results your scope must be :-

Fully cooled down

Well collimated

Well focused

You need a power of at least x100 which the supplied 10mm will give but it is not a great eyepiece and you may want to think about upgrading it.

X160 would be a better magnification which is a 6mm eyepiece like this….

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-eyepieces/stellalyra-6mm-125-ler-planetary-eyepiece.html

For best results you should observe planets when they are as high in the sky as possible which is when they are due south in the UK.

Light pollution does not have a big effect on the planets.

Hope that helps

Edited December 3, 2023 by dweller25

[Bugdozer]

Your scope is similar specs to mine, so should be able to show reasonable detail. You will be able to see the GRS, shadows of the moons transiting the disc, some features within the cloud belts. But I agree with Dweller25, you will benefit from a higher magnification eyepiece. 

I think you probably just need to spend some time getting used to the brightness of Jupiter and you will begin to pick out more detail. 

[Franklin]

If you have a pair of binoculars you will know that they are very easy to look through, you just hold them up, focus then enjoy the low power views. Unfortunately it's not that simple with a scope, telescopic observation is a skill that needs to be developed through practice and planetary observation in particular is probably one of the most demanding types of observing that there is. Unlike low power viewing of star fields and many deep-sky objects, planetary observing demands the use of high magnification, quality optics that are collimated well, steady seeing and bucket loads of patience. A good practice ground for developing your "planetary observing eye" is the surface of the Moon. It's big, it's bright, it's easy to find and hold in view but most importantly it's full of detail and it's this enormous wealth of detail that you can use to hone your observing skills. Using a Moon atlas, try to identify the smallest features that are perceptible by you with your optics and in time and with practice you will begin to notice these features becoming finer and finer. It's the skill that is required when trying to eke out the slightest hint of detail created by subtle changes in contrast on the surfaces of the planets presented through a telescope. Not easy but very rewarding.

[phantomgod_06]

17 hours ago, dweller25 said:

@phantomgod_06

I think you are using a 127mm Newtonian with a focal length of 1000mm ?

If so your scope should be showing the major bands on Jupiter.

For best results your scope must be :-

Fully cooled down

Well collimated

Well focused

You need a power of at least x100 which the supplied 10mm will give but it is not a great eyepiece and you may want to think about upgrading it.

X160 would be a better magnification which is a 6mm eyepiece like this….

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-eyepieces/stellalyra-6mm-125-ler-planetary-eyepiece.html

For best results you should observe planets when they are as high in the sky as possible which is when they are due south in the UK.

Light pollution does not have a big effect on the planets.

Hope that helps

yeah it's a 127mm, focal length 1000mm. 

i actually did try higher magnification. i used a barlow lens with my 20mm eyepiece and i had also tried a 4mm eyepiece but neither way showed enough detail. ill take a look into the website, thanks!

 

[phantomgod_06]

13 hours ago, Bugdozer said:

Your scope is similar specs to mine, so should be able to show reasonable detail. You will be able to see the GRS, shadows of the moons transiting the disc, some features within the cloud belts. But I agree with Dweller25, you will benefit from a higher magnification eyepiece. 

I think you probably just need to spend some time getting used to the brightness of Jupiter and you will begin to pick out more detail. 

yeah im a newbie in complete honesty so i guess i just need some more time with it

[phantomgod_06]

3 hours ago, Franklin said:

If you have a pair of binoculars you will know that they are very easy to look through, you just hold them up, focus then enjoy the low power views. Unfortunately it's not that simple with a scope, telescopic observation is a skill that needs to be developed through practice and planetary observation in particular is probably one of the most demanding types of observing that there is. Unlike low power viewing of star fields and many deep-sky objects, planetary observing demands the use of high magnification, quality optics that are collimated well, steady seeing and bucket loads of patience. A good practice ground for developing your "planetary observing eye" is the surface of the Moon. It's big, it's bright, it's easy to find and hold in view but most importantly it's full of detail and it's this enormous wealth of detail that you can use to hone your observing skills. Using a Moon atlas, try to identify the smallest features that are perceptible by you with your optics and in time and with practice you will begin to notice these features becoming finer and finer. It's the skill that is required when trying to eke out the slightest hint of detail created by subtle changes in contrast on the surfaces of the planets presented through a telescope. Not easy but very rewarding.

ive actually observed the moon through my telescope and i can see a lot of detail, i never used a moon atlas tho, will try, thanks!

 

[geoflewis]

18 hours ago, phantomgod_06 said:

I used the normal scope i got with the telescope for general viewing i believe, the place where i observe is pretty light polluted, i saw it as a bright spot of white rather than the normal colours you would expect to see, although i did focus it.

Were you able to see any of Jupiter's 4 Gallilean moons. They are easily revealed even in binoculars, so you should be able to see those. If you can't then I think that maybe you weren't properly focused.

[phantomgod_06]

1 hour ago, geoflewis said:

Were you able to see any of Jupiter's 4 Gallilean moons. They are easily revealed even in binoculars, so you should be able to see those. If you can't then I think that maybe you weren't properly focused.

i wasnt able to see the moons either. im pretty sure i was well focused so could it be a collimation issue?

 

[geoflewis]

31 minutes ago, phantomgod_06 said:

i wasnt able to see the moons either. im pretty sure i was well focused so could it be a collimation issue?

 

If you were in focus and couldn't see any moons then maybe you weren't looking at Jupiter.... Even a very poorly collimated scope would probably still show Jupiter's moons, but not if it was out of focus.

[dweller25]

As Geof says 👍

Also have you aligned the finder scope to the eyepiece view ?

[Franklin]

18 minutes ago, geoflewis said:

If you were in focus and couldn't see any moons then maybe you weren't looking at Jupiter.... Even a very poorly collimated scope would probably still show Jupiter's moons, but not if it was out of focus.

For sure. I can see Jupiter's moons in the 6x30 finder.

[Ed in UK]

If I recall my first observation of Jupiter through my scope, all I saw was a small pale creamy disc. The moons stood out very clearly. Ocassionaly the disc would show two very feint redish lines across the disc before the disappeared again.

I had seen the banding but didn't realise it at first.

It's like any other skill, it takes time to develop, keep practising and eventually more detail will emerge. 

Keep looking and watching as your eye slowly adjusts you'll start to see more.

Good luck and post again if you need more help.

[phantomgod_06]

20 hours ago, geoflewis said:

If you were in focus and couldn't see any moons then maybe you weren't looking at Jupiter.... Even a very poorly collimated scope would probably still show Jupiter's moons, but not if it was out of focus.

oh damn, i didnt think about that, thats probably what happened then

[phantomgod_06]

12 hours ago, Ed in UK said:

If I recall my first observation of Jupiter through my scope, all I saw was a small pale creamy disc. The moons stood out very clearly. Ocassionaly the disc would show two very feint redish lines across the disc before the disappeared again.

I had seen the banding but didn't realise it at first.

It's like any other skill, it takes time to develop, keep practising and eventually more detail will emerge. 

Keep looking and watching as your eye slowly adjusts you'll start to see more.

Good luck and post again if you need more help.

hmm yeah, im an amateur so i guess it will take some time

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Jupiter has been great this year.

I've observed it through:

Several pairs of 10x50 binoculars on a parallelogram.
A pair of 20x80 binoculars on a parallelogram.
A Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P set up in the tabletop Dobsonian config and on a tracking alt-az mount with 20mm and 9mm eyepieces.  With and without 2x Barlow.
A Celestron C5 SCT on a tracking alt-az mount with 20mm and 9mm eyepieces with and without 2x Barlow.
An Altair Starwave 70ED refractor with 20mm and 9mm eyepieces on a tracking alt-az mount with and without a 2x Barlow.

Conditions have varied but generally were moderate, with some atmospheric turbulence.

Each time I have observed through a telescope, the banding has been quite clear after spending time getting the focus right.  The only time it was not quite so clear was with the Heritage 100P with the 20mm eyepiece - but it was still there and that was largely as a function of observing at low power rather than the clarity of the image itself.  The C5 SCT gave good results in all configurations, the 70ED gave me excellent results, especially at 90X fantastic contrast.

The binoculars gave me clear views of the moons but little or nothing by means of banding.  The 80x20s do give some hint of it.

I would suggest that you're not fully lining up Jupiter in your scope, your collimation is out or you're not fully focussing the image in your telescope.  With 1000mm focal length on a 5-inch reflector, even in marginal seeing you should be seeing some form of banding.

Edited December 5, 2023 by GrumpiusMaximus

[DirkSteele]

Up until my early 30s I was able to see a couple of Jupiter’s moons naked eye so if they were not in the field with Jupiter (they would look like stars at 100x mag) then almost certainly your aim was off.

 

To align your finder aim the scope at a distant terrestrial object like a telephone pole or building and then use the alignment screws on the finder bracket to adjust the finder so it shows you the same object as you see in the main scope. Centre it on the crosshairs.

 

It is possible the scope will need to be collimated but we can get to that once you are definitely pointing where you think you are pointing.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I've just realised we're dealing with a Powerseeker 127EQ.  I suspect we might also be dealing with the Bird-Jones curse here.

[phantomgod_06]

2 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

Up until my early 30s I was able to see a couple of Jupiter’s moons naked eye so if they were not in the field with Jupiter (they would look like stars at 100x mag) then almost certainly your aim was off.

 

To align your finder aim the scope at a distant terrestrial object like a telephone pole or building and then use the alignment screws on the finder bracket to adjust the finder so it shows you the same object as you see in the main scope. Centre it on the crosshairs.

 

It is possible the scope will need to be collimated but we can get to that once you are definitely pointing where you think you are pointing.

ohh okay yeah ill try again and update

 

[Ed in UK]

4 hours ago, phantomgod_06 said:

hmm yeah, im an amateur so i guess it will take some time

Just keep practising and follow the useful guidnace and advice others are posting.

I read loads about moon & shadow transists on Jupiter, GRS transits, details on/in storm belts, barges and festoons....... but I'm still yet to seen any details as good as this. For me I'm still practsing myself but one day we'll both get there. Imagine the satisfaction you'll have after that session. 🙂

[bingevader]

We were out in school the week before last and found Jupiter and it's 4 moons in 'scope ranging from 90mm to 200m.

Should be more than possible in a 127mm.

Have you tried looking at the moon?

Might be worth trying to set up your 'scope on something that's relatively easy to find and focus on.

If you can point the finderscope at the moon and it's slap bag in the middle of the field of view of the eyepiece then you are half way there.

If not, move the 'scope around until the moon is in the middle, then centre the finderscope as people have described above.

If you can up the magnification and do the same again (on a crater or the terminator, where the edge disappears into blackness), then you will should have adjusted the finder enough to find small objects like Jupiter.

Edited December 5, 2023 by bingevader