Second light - Effects of poor seeing

[drmillrace]

So I got up 6 a.m. this morning and had a look at Venus through my new scope (Mak 127).

Even when the tripod had settled the image was very unstable and moved in and out of focus. Also the disc was very bright which made detail impossible to pick up.

I tried the 25mm and 10mm eyepieces but the issue was the same with each although the paler image in the 10mm made the brightness problem a little better.

I'm assuming the scope is OK as images are sharp and steady viewing terrestrially.

Would the problems be down to the planet being so low in the sky and viewing through more of the atmosphere.

Would I be better waiting an hour till it is higher and viewing even if the sky is growing lighter? Couldn't try this morning as the clouds came back.

Would filters help with the brightness?

Any other tips?

Thanks

David

[Ant]

Venus is tricky as during darkness it's always fairly low down... The higher in the sky the better - so yes try later in a brighter sky! But as always when looking through a scope in daylight - BEWARE the Sun.

Some people use colored filters - you could try a Neutral Density filters Moon & Neutral Density Filters this would help with the brightness.

But there is very little detail on Venus - I've never seen any and I've heard it takes a little practice to see any cloud detail.

Cheers

Ant

[John]

Venus is a good one for making you think there is something wrong with your scope / eyes !.

I find viewing it when there is lots of light in the sky helps and it's better (and larger) as the phase decreases - ie: the crescent becomes thinner.

[brianb]

And (if you're in the UK) Venus is very low at the moment - even when it's crossing the meridian - unfortunately this is not a favourable apparition, however next year there will be excellent elongations, spring evenings and late summer / early autumn mornings.

Venus is a very difficult target. A moon filter may help; a deep red filter reduces glare and helps steady the seeing; but to see any detail on the disk (other than the phase) your best bet is a violet filter, Wratten 47. Observing in daylight is another way of reducing the glare, and finding Venus in full daylight is easy enough when it's well placed - but do be careful not to look at the Sun by mistake!