Mars on skywatcher 1145P - nothing to see here

[cootuk]

Move along please...a Skywatcher 1145P with Antares x2 barlow and Neximage (approx x160), manual alignment for 300 frames

At least the focussing is just about there.

maybe a x3 barlow could push things a bit?

[rwg]

With a 2x barlow you have a 1000mm focal length - I only see a little detail in mars images with the 1500mm focal length of my Skymax 127. A 2x barlow helps a lot for me, getting the fl to 3000mm, provided the seeing is reasonable.

I'd certainly try the 3x barlow if you have one and possibly stack the 2x and the 3x, although you might find the image gets too dim and fuzzy. Also worth knowing that if you don't put the neximage all the way into the barlow, you increase the magnification of the barlow a bit (similar to using the barlow before the diagonal or with an extension tube).

Robin

[crbazzer]

hi there

i have a skywatcher 130P and i only get about the same image as you do which is so dissapointing because you can probably see as much with your naked eye,i'm new to stargazing but so far i am so dissapointed with you can actually see through the telescope compared to my own naked eye.all the reviews claim you can see this detail and that detail,i must be doing something wrong or expecting too much, if i'm not doing anything wrong then i feel i have wasted a lot of money.i'm confused.

[MjrTom]

Hello,

As with most things in astronomy the detail on Mars takes some long time viewing at the eyepiece to tease the detail out surface features.

With my 102mm refractor I have seen the polar caps and other features like Syrtis Major and other dark areas on the surface.

[Clayton]

hi there

i have a skywatcher 130P and i only get about the same image as you do which is so dissapointing because you can probably see as much with your naked eye,i'm new to stargazing but so far i am so dissapointed with you can actually see through the telescope compared to my own naked eye.all the reviews claim you can see this detail and that detail,i must be doing something wrong or expecting too much, if i'm not doing anything wrong then i feel i have wasted a lot of money.i'm confused.

What Eyepieces, and Barlows are you using??

[Chris]

Hi crbazzer, planet wise Saturn and jupiter will be better for a starter scope like the 130p, Don't be disheartened though, you can see detail on mars with a larger aperture and good seeing conditions, I saw dark shadows on Mars tonight with my 200p but I had to crank up the mag a bit and stare at it for a while to get my eye in, cool though because Mars is half the size of the Earth so its impressive that you can see anything using something as simple as a small mirror