Getting the most of of my eyepieces

[Jayla]

Hi

I've got a small collection of eyepieces, but I'm not sure which combinations would be best for planetary, ie Jupiter. I've tried several setups but Jupiter either looks tiny, or I can't find it at all.

I have the following

Series 500 Plossl 6.5mm

Super 10mm

SR 4mm

Super 25 Wide Angly

2x Barlow

3x Barlow

The viewing of Jupiter that I've seen so far looks as follows

I found a post on S@N forums of someone imaging saturn with the same scope, should I be able to see planets as large/detailed as that?

Someone tell me where I'm going wrong!

Cheers

J

[ashenlight]

Hi James, I have the same scope as you so hopefully we can come up with something

with the first image of Jupiter, what combination of EPs and barlows are you using with the scope? I usually use 10mm EP and my 2x barlow and get a decent sized disk with a lovely 3D feel, clear banding and the GRS - in this case Jupiter's disk is about the size of the disk of Saturn in the second image.

With Saturn, I could use the 10mm EP and the 3x barlow (remember that Jupiter is quite low for the UK now so suffers with the atmospheric conditions. I can't use the 3x barlow on Jupiter because of its low position - it just can't take the mag. Saturn was higher, and could take those higher magnifications.) I could clearly see the rings, cassini division and surface banding. It wasn't as big as Saturn in that image, I'd say two thirds of the size.

You mention not being able to find Jupiter sometimes. Is your red dot finder aligned correctly? Try aligning it in daylight - if you need any help with this please ask also, don't jump up the magnifications too quickly. I usually start with the 25mm EP (getting a similar view to your Jupiter image above), ensure the planet is in the centre of the FOV, then pop in the 10mm EP, and so on, until I am using the highest mag I can. Remember that the higher the mag, the quicker Jupiter will pass across the FOV and so the quicker you will lose it. Take it slowly and ensure you aren't rushing up the magnification scale too quickly.

Hope this helps, any questions don't be afraid to ask.

[arad85]

Small eyepiece and big barlow... With your scope and the 6.5 you're getting about 100x. Try with the x2 or x3 barlow to get more (although you will undoubtedly be limited by the scope and atmospherics). I get reasonably sized planets at 200-300x in the C9.25

[Neil M]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but presumably in most cases where images of planets have been posted they've been processed, enhanced and enlarged. This would give a misleading impression on what you'd actually see through the eyepiece?

My maximum magnification at the moment is 160x which requires a 15mm eyepiece and a 3x barlow. This gives a good view of the banding on Jupiter, although I'd like to go to a higher mag and to this end have just bought a 2x barlow to go with a 6.4mm eyepiece which should be with me soon (thanks to ebay!).

[Capricorn]

As Neil says the image you found of Saturn will have been processed, also you don't say what what it was imaged with, and it seems a poor image. Cannot see the rings and it is not sharp. Standard problem is usually too much magnification.

Your scope is 130mm Dia and 650mm focal length.

With the eyepieces that gives: 26x, 65x, 100x and 162x magnifications. Seems a fair spread. The 2x barlow and the 10mm may be useful as this will give 130x but the extra glass of the barlow may cause the image to be be worse.

The scope is 130mm Dia, it is advertised as Maximum Magnification 260x (Potential). Now the reality check: That figure of 260x magnification is to get you to part with your money. The real and practical maximum will be around 150x-160x, and that only under good conditions.

If you want as much as possible then in practical terms you are looking at the 10mm+2xBarlow(130x) or the 4mm(162x) if conditions are good. Either should give a fair view of Jupiter if all is well, may have to wait for Jupiter to get higher or pick a good night.

[The Warthog]

As yours is a fast scope, some eps will not work well with it. If the eps you have came with your scope, you may want to consider changing the lot. I would suggest Plossls, or quality wide-angle eps, as cheap ones will not fare well in a fast scope. Try reading the article, "Eyepieces - the very least you need" in the sticky section of this forum for suggestions about a viable ep kit.