GRS getting ready to show itself

Anyone else up? 0220 here on the east coast of the US.

Took a nap and now I'm waiting for Saturn to get a little higher and Jupiter to show itslef. Seeing isn't great but transparency is very good tonight (and all the porch lights are out). So, I get to see the Milky Way from my driveway.

The Juplette application shows that the GRS will be making an appearance for us this morning. I'm excited about seeing it again and also checking out the great black spot nearby. Haven't had a chance to see it yet.

Clear skies,

Tom

Well, seeing didn't improve even as Jupiter rose to 35 degrees or so. But, I did get a few moments of steady seeing which allowed me to see the GRS. I spent an hour on Jupiter and at times could not even see the two equatorial bands. Now that's bad seeing.

I also got reacquainted with how sensitive Jupiter and its low contrast details are to the proper magnification. With the binoviewers, I go from 24mm to 12.5mm (105x to 202x). 105x had great contrast but the image was too small. 202x, the image size was good but I lost too much contrast in the poor seeing. I needed something around 160x. Maybe a pair of 16mm Nagler type 5's?

I gave up on Jupiter after the GRS was disappearing (I never did spy the great black spot, is it still there?) and stole another peak at Saturn. It was closer to zenith so the seeing, on average, was a little better. It looked very nice at 202x. I could see all three of the rings, numerous bands, some color and the shadow of the planet on the rings. Much easier target tonight than Jupiter.

So, now it's time to go back to bed. My wife wants me to paint the porch today but I think it's going to be too cold for that

Clear skies,

TOm