no detail on mars

[david b]

hi, i need some help on mars i am using a skywatcher 12in dob with nirvana eyepieces 4,7 and 16mm but all i can see is a bright disc. i have colimated my scope, should i be able to get any detail or do i need to buy any filters

tanks david

[John]

You should be able to see some details on Mars with your equipment. I was using my 10" newtonian tonight (no filters / Tele Vue eyepieces) and I thought the seeing very good on Mars with the northern pole cap and a number of darker surface features visible including syrtis major.

Assuming that you have found no improvement over a number of nights, and have let your scope fully cool before viewing Mars, I can only think that the collimation is still off - in fast scopes collimation errors can kill contrast definition very effectively.

You could try a filter like a moon filter to reduce the glare of the planet a bit. I find observing through light, hazy cloud cover gives great views.

I think I'd have another look at the collimation as a 1st step.

[alfingido]

I found my first look at Mars was very disappointing until I used a filter. I used a good moon filter and saw lots of detail. Subseqent views were without a filter and gradually I started to make out more surface features. The more you look the more you see!

I would check collimation and try a moon filter to get you started.

Allan

[TopHouse]

I find with mars a filter is needed, without a filter it's always too bright for me, the brightness just seems to wash everything out.

[LukeSkywatcher]

My 1st real view showed no detail. Gradually over a few nights i began to be able to pick out some detail such as polar cap and dark area on surface. "Seeing" also vastly improved over those few nights which really helped. I tried a couple of coloured filters but they made Mars almost vanish. I must try my moon filter.

[david b]

i turned my scope to saturn and picked it up right away, it was a beautiful sight but mars is still to bright, im going to buy a couple of filters hopefully that will do the trick. thanks for the advice guys.

[orionhunter]

youve made me feel better anyways. i was having the same problem with my SW 150p.

lunar and saturn were fine. mars was just a bright reddish blob. thought i saw some detail one day but decided it was me mind playing tricks again.

[Moonshane]

from my very limited experience with Mars, it's an object that needs to be watched intensely for a few minutes and you eventually start seeing things in moments of clarity. don't keep fiddling with the focus either, just get it focused on a nearby star and then back to Mars and watch......

if you can, don't track it - difficult with a dob at high mags - let it come into the field and drift across - you'll see more that way in my opinion. also, sit down to observe - makes a massive difference.

it's moving away now of course so smaller every day (I think)