Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryz
Thanks Julian
Viewing conditions were ok (least from a beginners persperctive), but should I at least see a bit more color at the very least?
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Jupiter is so bright that even with my 5" scope, I find it helpful to use an eyepiece filter to dim it down a bit, so that it's less dazzling, and I can observe it more comfortably. When your eyes are getting used to night viewing, they will tend to see anything that is very bright as "white", so it can be hard to distinguish "bright orange" from "bright red", "bright cream", etc.
Different coloured filters will suppress different colours on your target - for example, a blue filter will darken the red / orange belts more than the other colours, making them more contrasty from the lighter coloured belts, which can improve the overall view of Jupiter. A Neutral Density "Moon Filter" will just reduce the overall brightness of the whole image.
If you don't have any filters, don't panic, there are a few easy tricks to see if being too bright is causing you difficulty in getting a good, sharp image:
Try wearing sunglasses to observe the brightest targets, like the Moon and Jupiter. (Yes, seriously!)
Try looking through some coloured cellophane wrapping paper, to make a crude coloured filter.
Does your telescope's dust cover have a small round opening offset to one side, with its own small dust cap? If so, this is intended for viewing the Moon (which has the same issue of being too bright for comfortable night viewing) - you leave the dust cap on the telescope, and only take off the small cap. Try it when observing Jupiter to see if it helps.
Or just get a piece of cardboard and cover 3/4 of the end of the telescope, leaving only about 1/4 of the light-gathering power.
Once you get rid of the dazzling brilliance, you should be able to focus more sharply, and start to distinguish some finer detail.
If any of these tricks give you a better view, then you may want to invest in a set of basic eyepiece filters.
Hope this helps!