Planet imaging of my problems (picture)

Major (heat?) shimmering is destroying my ability to enjoy this hobby. I no longer think it is just the Celestron C-102-HD telescope. Am restricted to CITY & WINDOW viewing 30 miles North of Sacramento(Yuba City) at 30 degrees above horizon. Is there anything to solve this shimmer problem without moving to another location?. -Larry

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Hi Larry --

If you're having to view thru a window pane, image degradation is part of the package made a lot worse if there's a big temp difference between inside and out.
Time of day could be an issue too. Try viewing early enough in the morning to see whether things are better; the building you live in is less likely to be going thru rapid temp change then.
Good luck with it. Let us know how things work out.

Bob Polcyn

Larry,

I live in Fresno and have the same problem. I have to wait for planets to be high in the sky before I can see them clearly. If you live on the west side of a city and are looking east you will have this problem "or vice versa". I have discovered not only light pollution but heat columns rising from the city until late at night. That rising heat makes the planets dance, wiggle, hop "really" and jump making focusing next to impossible. I don't know if anyone has really given thought to rising heat from major cities playing a role in image distorsion. Of course viewing through a window will cripple your viewing. If it is heat rising from the city your only recourse is wait until the planet is high in the sky. Or wait until its opposite of the side that presents the highest amount of heat columns. Make sure the jet stream is not over the valley "low pressure nearby". Light fog or thin clouds will mask some of these problems. Try to avoid looking over the city and see if it helps. It drives me nuts sometimes. On nights just before the fog develops "stagnent air and no currents" you should get your best views in winter. I hope at least one thing I listed will help.

You are right Gary about the heat dancing the images radically!. Since I am building a digital camera mount INSIDE where it is warm I tried to take low angle*
(*bad for spherical AND chromatic abberation)shots thru an OPEN window East...Too cold & dark to go outside and try to make the time consuming collimating adjustments to camera AND telescope. We both will be plagued in Calif from coast weather & desert/mtn weather causing diffraction where they converge I think. I really should cut a hole in the roof. :-) Your area SHOULD be better than mine overall. Thanks for the comments Gary. -Larry