mars the small red blob.

[Jarvis]

i just last weekend got my telescope locked on mars and if anyone read my previous post you will know what im talking about, it came up as a red blob and that was focused. i got a better view from jupiter. atleast i could see some cloud bands on jupiter. do i need a bigger telescope. i only got a 60mm one. yes a department store one. i put a bigger lens in it and it still was awful. what am i doing wrong.:drink:

[acropolite]

You've already answered the question, however the higher in the sky and the better the conditions the more chance you will have of seeing something. Check out the jetstream forecast and try looking when the Jetstream's not raging over your area.

[davidpretorius]

jupiter thru my 10" is good, but small, but mars is a red blob for me too. you are doing nothing wrong, you just need better equipment

[asimov]

Bigger aperture than 60mm would be needed I would say. I can bring up mars to a reasonable size in a 6" scope. Mars needs pretty good seeing conditions as well.

[janoskiss]

It depends where you are too. The further North (in S-hemisphere) the better. Down here in Melbourne, even at its best, Mars is very low in the sky. Going from an altitude of 25 degrees to 50, or more, does a lot more than getting a bigger scope. Once you're above 35-40 degrees, then the scope size matters more.

The 60mm scope is not as incapable as most people think. You'll be amazed how much you can see with it, with a bit of practice. It will probably easily do 120x magnification (if you have the eyepieces for it), which in good conditions is should be enough to show some surface detail on Mars. I last looked at Mars through my 200mm Dob a couple of weekends ago at 4:15am, and it looked like a fireball racing across the field of view. At times I could just make out one blob on the surface that had a different hue from the rest of the planet.

It's probably your mount rather than the scope that will need attention. If you need eyepieces, cheap/old binos are a good source. Check out mine:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=3469

:D

[iceman]

Mars is still small at the moment, so a 60mm cheap scope won't have much luck resolving much if any detail.

At the end of October it will be at opposition, so it'll be biggest and best then - however you're likely to still be disappointed with the view through that scope.

I read you're looking at getting an 8 or 10" dob - that will give you much better views. Visually, I can make out details on Mars now with my 10" dob, however the seeing has to be reasonable to see anything. If it's low on the horizon or the seeing (atmospheric turbulence) is bad, you won't see anything but a small wobbly red blob.

The best time to view Mars (right now) is about 2-3am when it's highest in the north. Over the next couple of months it will rise earlier and give you a chance to see it at a resonable time of day.

[dhumpie]

I agree that its more the skill than the size of the scope :) Back in the mid 80's I used my "small" 40mm f/20 Celestron Cometron refractor to resolve surface markings and a polar ice cap on Mars at opposition. Magnification used was 100x.

Darren

[mickoking]

I had one of my best views of mars thru a 60mm telescope in the mid eighties also.

[ving]

jsut wait for it to get up higher and you should be fine :)
patience young jedi! :D