Well, I finally got a view of the Great Red Spot. But frankly, there's nothing red about it. It was closer to tan -- in fact, it really didn't have much colour difference between it and the South Equatorial Belt beside which it appeared.
I should preface this by saying that Wednesday March 26 was the first night I had been able to use the Plossls I had purchased here a week previously -- it having been overcast every night since then! I finally had some decent eyepeices for my cheap department store Bushnell 4.5" Newt, and I was anxious to try them out.
At first I was dissapointed -- was I actually seeing double images of bright starts and Jupiter? Horrors. But that was as a result of not letting the scope cool. The 20mm (45X) had a 10 degree wider apparent FOV than the 20mm that came with the scope, and I could almost fit Jupiter in with M44 in the same view. That was a pretty sight.
I also noticed that M44 seemed brighter and crisper than with my original eyepiece. Altogether, I was quite pleased with the improvement.
Even in combination with my crummy 3X Barlow (again, original equipment), the images were considerably sharper and more contrasty. For instance, I was able to clearly resolve the Cassini division (which had heretofore been nothing more than a faint suggestion) and even saw a dark band on Saturn itself.
Jupiter gave me some very clear views of the polar regions and both equatorial belts. I was able to resolve the SEB into two distinct bands when the image settled down. And I finally got a view of the GRS -- looking like a tan swirl in the SEB, accented by a darkish eyebrow south of it. But there was little contrast between the colours on any of the features on the Jovian disk -- I got two shades: off-white and tan. The great red spot was no redder than anything else. Maybe I need more aperture to get better colour contrast. Maybe viewing from my light-bathed driveway had something to do with it.
Well, that's about it for now. I'm awaiting the deilvery of yet another Plossl, a Meade Series 4000 7mm that I purchased here. That way, I can dispense with the crummy Barlow altogether.
Please excuse the long-windedness. I've only been using this telscope for three months, and every new image is an adventure. Besides, it is (alas) overcast once again, so this is the next best thing.
Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren
I should preface this by saying that Wednesday March 26 was the first night I had been able to use the Plossls I had purchased here a week previously -- it having been overcast every night since then! I finally had some decent eyepeices for my cheap department store Bushnell 4.5" Newt, and I was anxious to try them out.
At first I was dissapointed -- was I actually seeing double images of bright starts and Jupiter? Horrors. But that was as a result of not letting the scope cool. The 20mm (45X) had a 10 degree wider apparent FOV than the 20mm that came with the scope, and I could almost fit Jupiter in with M44 in the same view. That was a pretty sight.
I also noticed that M44 seemed brighter and crisper than with my original eyepiece. Altogether, I was quite pleased with the improvement.
Even in combination with my crummy 3X Barlow (again, original equipment), the images were considerably sharper and more contrasty. For instance, I was able to clearly resolve the Cassini division (which had heretofore been nothing more than a faint suggestion) and even saw a dark band on Saturn itself.
Jupiter gave me some very clear views of the polar regions and both equatorial belts. I was able to resolve the SEB into two distinct bands when the image settled down. And I finally got a view of the GRS -- looking like a tan swirl in the SEB, accented by a darkish eyebrow south of it. But there was little contrast between the colours on any of the features on the Jovian disk -- I got two shades: off-white and tan. The great red spot was no redder than anything else. Maybe I need more aperture to get better colour contrast. Maybe viewing from my light-bathed driveway had something to do with it.
Well, that's about it for now. I'm awaiting the deilvery of yet another Plossl, a Meade Series 4000 7mm that I purchased here. That way, I can dispense with the crummy Barlow altogether.
Please excuse the long-windedness. I've only been using this telscope for three months, and every new image is an adventure. Besides, it is (alas) overcast once again, so this is the next best thing.
Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren