Meade ETX125

[PCH]

Hi Guys,I wonder if anyone out there can help me. I read with interest your posts, and love seeing the imaging results you guys get. One day ! ....For me, as a relative newcomer to the astro game I am clearly miles behind most who post here. However, the previous post re Jupiter prompted me to post my question. If I'm in the wrong section, please forgive, but this is my question anyway...I have an ETX125 which I've only had a short time. I've been out with it a good handful of times, though only in the back yard and never to a dark sky site. I've read heaps of reviews about this scope and people absolutely rave about the optics at least - for a scope of it's size. For e.g. .... "Despite the row of gargantuan SC's present, I still got a great reaction from the razor-sharp ETX views of Saturn!......" quotes one reviewer in Arkansas.Well, this is my question.... I haven't been able to see anything through mine that I could even begin to describe with anything like this guys enthusiasm. It's not that I'm unimpressable, but the view I get of Saturn for example (when it was in the viewable sky) was ok at best. The was nothing razor sharp about it, and the rings though clearly visible were not razor-sharp clear. And yes the scope was focused correctly. I've been out viewing Jupiter tonight, and again it seemed like just a hazy disc. This evening seemed pretty clear to me, and even on other clear nights Jupiter has appeared quite hazy. I certainly don't get to see any of the cloud belts, colouration or the spot detail.Am I expecting too much guys? I feel sure from you guys' enthusiasm that there is more to this than viewing a collection of wishy-washy images.I do wear glasses for reading which I don't wear when viewing (should I?).Any suggestions would be really appreciated, as I do genuinely want to see the things that are up there to be amazed by. Do I really need a bigger aperture?Thanks very much in advance guys, appreciate any and all comments.Paul

[Miaplacidus]

Hi Paul,

I have an ETX-105. I don't think it is unreasonable for you to expect to see sharp images of those planets with your telescope. Just a couple of things I have found, though, is that viewing planets is heavily dependent on the quality of the "seeing", which has to do with the steadiness of the upper atmosphere, and is something not readily apparent even if it is a clear night. (Under Resources in the side bar you will find something to tell you what the jetstream is doing over your location: if it is active overhead, don't expect sharp images.) Once, on a cold Hobart day I saw cloud bands on Jupiter at midday! Also, the best views through a mak certainly require the scope to have been outside for an hour at least for the optics to cool down. This can make a big difference. Saturn is pretty low in the sky, so you are looking through a lot of atmosphere, and it is mainly visible early. Often the best viewing is in the hours before dawn. Not that that suits me very much.

Of course, the quality of the eyepieces plays a role, too.

Good luck, and hang in there. That ever-so-infrequent evening of perfect seeing is a killer for converting people to the hobby.

Cheers,

Brian.

[PCH]

many thanks for your thoughts. It's really frustrating as I'm sure there is more to be seen than I'm currently seeing. Just to clarify, - when I was regularly viewing Saturn about a month ago, it was reasonably high in the sky - guessing about 40degs - it was well above the roof of the house anyway. But I will investigate this 'jetstream' thing, which I confess I've never even heard of. And I also hadn't realised I should be leaving the gear outside prior to viewing for the cool down period either. So it may be that you've answered my question fully thanks Brian. Cheers,Paul

[Miaplacidus]

No worries, Paul. I notice you have another thread asking about eyepieces. The best view I ever had through the ETX was of Jupiter with a Vixen LVW 5 mm, better than the equivalent Televue Radian. Supposedly this magnification exceeded what was technically possible with my ETX, but the night was exceptional, and the optics of my ETX are superb. Just shows you what is possible when the night is perfectly clear and still. I could see the Great Red Spot easily. The contrast was amazing. One thing though (harking back to your original post) I didn't actually see colour on the planet that night. Colour, I think, still demands aperture.

IMO the best high mag EP for pretty much any scope is the Pentax 10mm XW. Although a tiny bit cheaper, I think they are actually better than the Naglers. Pentax XLs are cheaper again, and lighter (nice feature on an ETX) and just as good, but a bit narrower in field of view.

Good luck,

Brian.

[Zenton]

I have been using a ETX-125 for a couple of years and people have allways commented on how good the optics are. On a night of good seeing Saturn if clear and sharp and the Cassini division is clearly visible and the great red spot on Jupiter is also clearly visible. I only use the Meade plossl eyepieces and am very happy with the views.

[okiscopey]

As folks have said, it's all a matter of atmospheric 'seeing' (including the jetstream), altitude of the object you're observing, and scope cool-down time (at least 2 hours). I'm told the air is steadier in the early hours of the morning before dawn, but I haven't done enough observing to test that bit of info myself. The next thing of course is dark skies - but this is less important for the moon and planets. Supposedly one gets more detail on the planets by using colour filters, but I haven't tried this either.

If all those things are right, there's still one other factor: the more you look, the more you'll see! This is due to short-term variations in the atmosphere and training your eye-brain to get more out of what you're looking at.

What eyepieces do you have? If only the supplied 25mm, you're only working at x76. I have Vixen LV 9, 12, 25 and 40mm eyepices for my ETX125 (these are good quality 50 degree AFOV (apparent field of view) but not the wide-field 65 degree LVW type). However I don't get much more detail out of the 9mm (x211) compared with the 12mm most of the time. You don't need super-quality eyepieces in the ETX as it's an f/15 system and isn't as demanding as your average dob (around f/5).

[higginsdj]

Your seeing will vary and it may be that your backyard never produces usable seeing due to various local conditions. But if you have any doubts about the scope then find your local Astronomical Society/Club, go to a meet, bring the scope and let them take a look through the scope - they know what to expect.... Its next to impossible to describe what to expect.

Cheers