Funkytown

[Nightspore]

 

Well, inevitably I got a larger scope out this morning. The 102mm SkyMax is pretty easily re-positioned. I got out under the clouds at least an hour before I could see anything. TBH I wasn't that optimistic. Then I got a glimpse of a very bright naked eye Jupiter.

 

 

The Rigel worked fine up until around 04:00 when by then it was too light to see the reticule. I was prepared for this and had taken out an Orion 6x30 RACI which I used in the 7 o'clock position. Not a particularly elegant solution and I kept catching the RACI with my arm. Finding stuff without a sight on a Mak' should be an Olympic sport.

 

 

I couldn't see Saturn for a while but Jupiter was unmissable in the dawn sky. I could see the GRS. Sharpest I could get was 134x with a Meade 9.7mm Plossl. I think the Baader Neodymium filter helped a lot. Eventually I got some time on Saturn. The Cassini Division was easily seen, as was Titan.

 

 

I pulled all the stops out for a butcher's hook at Mars with a Meade 6.4mm Plossl. At 203x I could not only see the NPH, I could also see the 'tiny' bright white southern polar cap. The OTA was well cooled by now and I'm pretty sure I could also see a hint of some dark albedo features.

 

 

So I feel all funkytown ...

 

 

 

... but with much better dancing.

[+Glafnazur]

Great report but I can't see the video

[Nightspore]

49 minutes ago, Glafnazur said:

Great report but I can't see the video

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

How's this?

[+Streetbob]

Thanks for the report.

Your perseverance with the weather paid off.

A treat for the neighbours too, seeing you shimmying round the garden at dawn.

[Nightspore]

4 hours ago, Streetbob said:

Thanks for the report.

Your perseverance with the weather paid off.

A treat for the neighbours too, seeing you shimmying round the garden at dawn.

 

I doubt they could see me lol.

 

 

I'm pretty sure I saw the southern polar cap with the 60 EDF in an earlier session.

 

 

I had to concentrate a bit though. Even then I was wondering if I had imagined it. The EDF has really good glass, and a Strehl to die for, but Mars really needs a bit more aperture. Especially this far from opposition and with it only being just under seven arc seconds in diameter (a full ten arc seconds smaller than at opposition). I was fairly sure it was the polar cap and not anything else. After seeing it with the 102mm Mak I'm even more convinced. It may just have been bright clouds but it was a small dot and in exactly the right position to be the pole. Of course, it could have been bright clouds and the polar cap lol.

[Nightspore]

 

As the jet stream seems to have missed the English Midlands for a bit I went for another early dawn 102mm Mak' session.
 

 

I had much longer on Saturn and I could detect some orange-yellow colour on Titan. Jupiter was pretty clear considering. I used the SvBony 7-21mm zoom for both planets. No visible GRS this morning.

 

 

The big question was whether I took out the SLV or TMB 6mm for Mars. The Vixen has orthoscopic-like contrast but only 45˚ of field.

 

 

The TMB won due to its bigger field. I'll go with the SLV tomorrow (toss a coin, right lol). I'm not sure how much more I could see at 217x as opposed to 203x with the Meade Plossl, but the southern polar cap is still quite visible, as is the NPH. So I feel a bit like ...

 

 

... this.