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Old 18-09-2008, 10:37 PM
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Blue Skies (Jacquie)
It's about time

Blue Skies is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1,221
As you're only using a 5" scope, your resolution wont be that fantastic - nothing like what you might see in images going around at the moment.
There are a couple of things to think about when observing Jupiter (or any other planet, really)
1. focus on the moons, not the planet. The moons are small enough that they will be almost pinpoint in a small scope, so use them as a guide for focus.
2. Usually the atmosphere is unsteady - the air above your head and that your telescope is looking through will be moving around quite a bit. If you watch, every so often Jupiter should leap into view for an instant, then blur out again. On a good night the steady patches last a bit longer.
3. It takes time to learn how to see. Give yourself a year and you should be amazed at how much more detail you can see.

We are lucky at the moment that Jupiter is in the southern ecliptic and gets high overhead, so its worth persevering over the next few years.
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