Viewing Mars

[solarwallace]

Hi all.

Any good advice for viewing Mars?

I can find it no problem. Except, it reflects so much light back at me I can't see any surface detail at all. In fact it looks white through the scope rather than the reddish colour it appears with the naked eye and finder scope.

Do I need to use a particular filter and should I be waiting for it to get bigger next month due to the size of my scope?

Scope's a 6" Skywatcher 150 Explorer.

Thanks,

Steve.

[BrownClaw]

Hi,

Are you using a Barlow and/or high mag EP?

The reason I ask is that I'm using a 130P and I noticed that when I use a 2x Barlow, I naturally lose a lot of the light/glare from bright objects, and so maybe this is worth a try? Of course I also lose resolution too I couldn't speak about filters as I've yet to try any apart from a moon filter.

I'm having difficulty viewing Mars also, I got up at 6am yesterday morning to view it high in the sky, and although the seeing was much better than low on the horizon, all I'm really seeing is a peachy/orange disc with no surface details at all....this on a Skywatcher 130P with a 25mm, 15PL, and 10mm, with and without a 2x Barlow.

Am I expecting too much from my 5" AP? Or as you say is the viewing going to get better as the new year starts? Thanks

[solarwallace]

Hi.

I've tried several different combinations of 2x Barlow and 6mm and 10mm eyepieces. It's still very bright with the Barlow.

I usually start off with a 25 or 15 to help locate it.

To be fair, light pollution is quite high here. I shall be in good dark skies next week hopefully so that might make a difference. From reading elsewhere it looks like filters help pick out different surface detail.

I shall feed back here on how I get on.

Regards

Steve.

[TheThing]

You should be able to see some detail on the Martian surface, such as the north polar ice cap. I saw it quite clearly at the beginning of the month, when still quite low in the east, with my 4" Mak.

As with all things, less is often more. Less magnification does tend to bring out more detail on planets, especially when they are low down, so try without the Barlow.

Coloured filters are pretty helpful with bringing details out - see the SGL primer on this topic for help. I've not had a chance to experiment on Mars much, but understand that red and blue are good colour filters to use.

[solarwallace]

Thanks for the reply. I should have have read the primer first really

I didn't know that lower powers brought out more detail. Do you know why that is?

Steve.

[BrownClaw]

It is true that whenever I've seen Jupiter's banding, it's always been with a 25mm EP as opposed to my 10mm.

I think the principle is that although you're magnifying the target image more with the higher power EP, you're also (a) magnifying all the light pollution too and ( spreading out the lightwaves which result in fuzzier seeing. Although I could be wrong!

Astronomy is all about making faint objects visible, not magnifying them. A distant blur such as a galaxy won't be any clearer with a higher power EP, it'll be as fuzzy but just bigger. You need to capture the light as best you can to see detail, and that's where aperture, not mag power, comes into play.

Feel free to correct my points above anyone, I've had lots of coffee

[mdstuart]

I have just had a red 38A filter for Christmas to try on Mars.

With my 10 inch scoep I can make out the white polar cap (just) but not much else. I think the end of Jan is going to be best so I shall br trying out the filter!

Mark

[Wurzil]

I sometimes find if an object is too bright, it helps if i put the outer lens cap on the scope.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I sometimes find if an object is too bright, it helps if i put the outer lens cap on the scope.

Indeed it does. It took me about 2 months to discover that it came off in the first place. My first observation of the moon with it OFF nearly blinded me. Then i started using a moon filter.

[brianb]

I think the principle is that although you're magnifying the target image more with the higher power EP, you're also (a) magnifying all the light pollution too and ( spreading out the lightwaves which result in fuzzier seeing. Although I could be wrong!

Light pollution has nothing to do with it; I've had good views of Mars with the ultimate in light pollution (sun above the horizon).

Changing the magnification doesn't actually change the contrast in the image at all. But it does change the gradient in the boundaries between two tones; raising the magnification reduces the rate of change of brightness, making the boundary harder to detect.

For objects which have only subtle details (Jupiter) a magnification as low as 15x per inch of aperture usually gives a very good view, which is not much improved by increasing the magnification even if the optics are perfect and the seeing is very steady. You do however need to increase the magnification to 25-30x per inch to see the smallest sharp details that your scope can resolve (shadows, gaps in Saturn's rings etc). More than that & you're just increasing the size of the diffraction pattern; useful for collimating (I've used x800 on an 8" scope) but for actually observing, anything over 50x per inch definitely counterproductive, providing your eyesight is anything like normal.

For "faint fuzzies", as well as the contrast gradient effect, the eye is less sensitive to contrast differences when the light level is low. So too much magnification is a double whammy. Use a very low magnification; 5x per inch is enough, and 4x per inch may be better, if you have young eyes and a dark sky so your pupils can expand.

[Rob]

I have the exact same scope as you. I use a 3xBarlow for best results as does darken it down a touch. Also go for a morning sky where its higher and a less boiling image. I made out some nice details along with the polar caps at 6am a few mornings ago.

Make sure you cool the scope, then collimate it aswell.

Regards

Rob

[VYCanisMajoris]

I have the same problem with Mars. I have an Orion 6" Astroview reflector. I can see Orion's nebula, the Moon, Pleiades, etc. no problem and get really good images.

Mars, on the other hand, I have no problems locating, but I can't get a good image of it. I have 10mm and 25mm lenses, a 2X shorty Barlow, green filters etc. Nothing works. Well, it's not my telescope, I'm sure it's me. Anyone have any advice?

Here's what happens: Mars is either really bright and focused like a pin head, or I can make it really large in the firld of view -- only when I do so, I start to see the secondary mirror with its four wires holding it in place. So basically, I start to see Mars really out of focus or too focused so that I can't see its polar ice caps, nor even its moons.

Same goes for all other planets.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I have the same problem with Mars. I have an Orion 6" Astroview reflector. I can see Orion's nebula, the Moon, Pleiades, etc. no problem and get really good images.

Mars, on the other hand, I have no problems locating, but I can't get a good image of it. I have 10mm and 25mm lenses, a 2X shorty Barlow, green filters etc. Nothing works. Well, it's not my telescope, I'm sure it's me. Anyone have any advice?

Here's what happens: Mars is either really bright and focused like a pin head, or I can make it really large in the firld of view -- only when I do so, I start to see the secondary mirror with its four wires holding it in place. So basically, I start to see Mars really out of focus or too focused so that I can't see its polar ice caps, nor even its moons.

Same goes for all other planets.

About the only planets that should/could maybe look like points of light are Uranus and Neptune (depending on apeture?). The rest should be very obviously disc shape in appearances (unless they are ones showing phases such as Mercury and Venus). Mars,Saturn and Jupiter dont display phases (please correct me if i am wrong). I have seen Mars as a rusty orange colour ONCE. Most of the time it is white AND i can never get it focused. I have no such issues with other planets (i get very nice views with only a 9mm EP). I have tried Mars with:6mm,9mm,10mm,15mm,20mm,25mm,32mm and ALL with or without a 2X barlow. I have tried a few different colour filters also.

Its really annoying because i KNOW people here have seen it very well with similar apeture scopes to mine (3.5" and 5"). I know it is SMALL and thats fine (infact i think i can safely say it is TINY with my scopes). I just wish i could get it focused and see some kind of dark/light difference on it.

I really dont know what else i can do to improve it in my scopes. I've tried everything i have.

Its a good thing that Saturn and Jupiter are not shy and always put on a good show (when they are well placed and Saturn lets us look up under her skirt).

p.s.~~~I know Saturn and Jupiter are both male "Gods", but i like always think of the planets as female.................as i do the Moon.