Planet viewing

[psyche101]

Hi All

I'm back, it has been a pretty awful summer for sky watching, I have only had a few opportunities to run out the backyard with the Celestron and get a half hour in before the clouds return. Ahh well, more to discover later I guess
I have been learing all I can about the night sky, but mostly from programs due to the skies. However, now that Mars is getting up reasonably early in my neck of the woods, I have been loooking for gaps in the clouds to glimpse it.
And I did.
Last week I was lucky enough for a clear interlude, and I am sure I had the location right, but found Mars a little disappointing. All I could make out was a red disc slightly larger than a star. My scope is a 4 inch and I went down to a 10X eyepiece, am I doing something wrong, or do I need a larger scope/eyepiece/knowledge? Jupiter seemd far more impressive, I could make out the bands and at least 3 moons. I see Saturn is on the rise now, but the clouds have kept me from that view to date. Would a more powerful eyepiece help? A Barlow? The pictures I have seen are far more impressive - one can even see the polar caps. Will I be able to make out Saturn's rings?

http://space.newscientist.com/articl...ine-news_rss20 this looks cool!

[edwardsdj (Doug)]

Hi Psyche,

Mars is far from at its best at the moment. It is getting smaller every night and the easiest features to see aren't facing us at the moment. Neither polar cap is facing us either. Quite a challenging target.

When Mars is at a perihelic opposition though (last time in 2003) it is well within reach of a 4" scope.

Jupiter and Saturn should both provide more pleasing views. You should be able to see Saturn's rings easily.

Have fun,
Doug

[Matty P (Matt)]

Hi Psyche,

When I recently looked at Mars through my 8" scope all I saw was an orange blob. Mars is getting further and further away everyday and like what Doug said the most prominent features are facing the other way. So not much to see there.

Juptier and Saturn is where you want your scope to be pointing at the moment. With you 4" scope you should be able to see Saturn's rings without any difficulty.

What eyepieces do you have?

[psyche101]

Thanks very much for that. Much appreciated. I guess it could be a few years for a good look? Glad it is not the scope
I have been trying for Saturn, unfortunately there is a mountain rise right where it comes up for me currently, so I have to be a little patient, the clouds have been stealing my views there as well. The few opportunities I have had have been rather washed to date by the Moon.
That is very encouraging though, once again, thany you very much for that, I will be focusing my efforts on Saturn, I have had some success on some deep sky objects, moonless nights have proven excellent deep sky viewing, I have had excellent views of Pleiades and the butterfly cluster. I have found Orion rather an interesting tour as well. Lovin it

[psyche101]

What eyepieces do you have?

Just a 25x and a 10x, I am hoping to get some more, but I have seen that Celestron do a whole pack in a carry case that looks pretty good with filters as well. I am going to get some Au pricing on that one. Does anyone recommend a Barlow? I hear good and bad.

[edwardsdj (Doug)]

When observing planets, wait for them to get pretty high. The lower they are, the more blury the image will be.

When it comes to eyepieces, I'd recommend getting far more comfortable with the ones you have before buying more. A couple of really good eyepieces is typically better than a kit of five average ones.

Barlows are good for getting more magnification on nights of great seeing but I typically use eyepieces unbarlowed. Be aware that some eyepieces barlow better than others. I'd worry about a barlow much further down the track as it's important to get a good one and good ones are expensive.

Hope this helps.

Have fun,
Doug

[Matty P (Matt)]

Originally Posted by psyche101

Just a 25x and a 10x, I am hoping to get some more, but I have seen that Celestron do a whole pack in a carry case that looks pretty good with filters as well. I am going to get some Au pricing on that one. Does anyone recommend a Barlow? I hear good and bad.

Hi Psyche,

I have the Celestron eyepiece kit. I got it for free when I bought my scope. It has a variety of different size eyepieces great for starting out. It also comes with a decent 2x Barlow and 7 visual filters including a moon filter. It is a good quality kit and if you have any questions about this kit, please ask.

I agree with Doug, get use to the ones you already have then when you feel ready to upgrade. You will know which eyepiece(s) are the best for you and your scope.

The only time I use a Barlow is when I am imaging the planets. Unless the seeing is really good the Barlow is hardly is used. I suggest to not worry too much about a Barlow just yet.

[desler]

Hi,


Being a newb as well, I got 5 lenses with my 8" GSO dob, 2" 32 mm wide angle, 25, 15, 9 and 6mm 1.25" plossl. No barlow and I've been told pretty much the same as you have.

Give it 6 months to a year with what you've got and try and get a look at some lenses at viewing or club nights to get a feel for which direction you want to go in.

Hope this helps!

Darren

[rumples riot]

Even through my C14 Mars is a small round disk at 190x at 434x it is not much better due to the orientation of this apparition for us.

Saturn is always a wonderous site no matter what telescope you are using. Ensure that you scope is cooled sufficiently to get the best views of it.

Jupiter is this year at its very best for us southerners and it will present quite a show. It should be near 49 arc seconds and provide you with views of the bands, GRS and even on really good nights polar spots. It does not rise until very early in the morning at present and will this week be inconjunction with Venus. Jupiter will not be much to look at now, but in two months it will be at an altitude high enough to get great views.

In terms of EP's the sky is the limit. I have found that I only really need 3-4 eyepieces in my Kit, but I have a lot of barlows. I would suggest that a good quality 2x barlow is all you really need with the diameter of your scope. Any more than that will result in the image breaking down. You could use your 25mm EP with a 2x barlow and this will effectively mean you have a 12.5mm EP. The same for your 10mm will become a 5mm (this will most likely be too much except on exceptional nights of 9/10 which are rare). The main thing with planetary viewing is patience. You have to do a lot of viewing to get the most out of it. Spend lots of nights out side and when the seeing comes the view and the memories will keep you going until the next time. Don't expect a lot at first, but if you persist you will be rewarded.

[psyche101]

Originally Posted by Matty P

Hi Psyche,

I have the Celestron eyepiece kit. I got it for free when I bought my scope. It has a variety of different size eyepieces great for starting out. It also comes with a decent 2x Barlow and 7 visual filters including a moon filter. It is a good quality kit and if you have any questions about this kit, please ask.

I agree with Doug, get use to the ones you already have then when you feel ready to upgrade. You will know which eyepiece(s) are the best for you and your scope.

The only time I use a Barlow is when I am imaging the planets. Unless the seeing is really good the Barlow is hardly is used. I suggest to not worry too much about a Barlow just yet.

Lucky you!! All I got was a 10x and a 25x. The main reason I was looking at the kit is individual prices from the NG shop (for standard sizes) are still around $75-80, but I think I can get the whole kit with filters for just under $200.00, which seems good value. The 2 I have are great, but I would dearly love to get close up to the planets.

[Matty P (Matt)]

Hi Psyche,

For $200 you can't beat it, the Celestron kit is great for the price. It will give you a variety of different choices of magnification when viewing different objects. I think you will enjoy it, Go for it.

Where are you going to get it from?