Poor seeing in Sydney tonight?

[icytailmark (Mark)]

hi guys im just outside looking at mars for the first time and all i can see is a orange glow and a watery shimmer. I tried different eyepieces 25mm, 13mm and they all look the same. I cannot see any type of detail. I hope my telescope isnt broken.

[icytailmark (Mark)]

woohoo i just saw saturn for the first time in my telescope!!! WOW it looks just like in the books u see!!!

[telecasterguru (Frank)]

Mark,

Saturn for the first time through your own scope is an awesome sight.

What sort of scope are you using?

Frank

[Robh (Rob)]

Originally Posted by icytailmark

hi guys im just outside looking at mars for the first time and all i can see is a orange glow and a watery shimmer. I tried different eyepieces 25mm, 13mm and they all look the same. I cannot see any type of detail. I hope my telescope isnt broken.

I don't know what type of scope you own but you may need to acclimatise your scope to the outside conditions. That watery shimmer could be due to convection currents around a cooling mirror. Another highly likely cause is also poor seeing, the image appearing to vibrate due to upper air disturbances.

Regards, Rob.

[icytailmark (Mark)]

im using a Skywatcher 12" Dob. I had my telescope outside all night. I think it could of been condensation on the mirrors.

[Robh (Rob)]

Originally Posted by icytailmark

im using a Skywatcher 12" Dob. I had my telescope outside all night. I think it could of been condensation on the mirrors.

Ah, the dreaded dew! Yes, I noticed there was a lot of dew around this morning.
That "watery" shimmer is a rather apt description.

Regards, Rob.