I have a meade 4500 telescope, how can i see Jupiter clearly and it`s red spot, Instead of a bright ball.?

Question

I need to know what kind of lens and filter i need. Thanks

Answer 1

The diffraction spot size of the 4500 is going to be less than one arcsecond, so *assuming you have clear, stable skies, and a properly aligned telescope* you should not have a problem seeing the Great Red Spot: it should range from 3-5 arcseconds across depending on how close or far Jupiter is from opposition (assuming it is slightly larger than one earth diameter).

You need to observe Jupiter when it is high in the sky, when the air is stable. Look at the limb (edge) of Jupiter. . . if it is very ripply, this will make the red spot hard to see. You do not necessarily need any special filter. You already have a much better setup than Cassini did 440 years ago! Still there are so called "planetary" filters you can order from astronomy shops which will help with the contrast a bit.

Meade even sells their own brand of them, for instance here:
http://www.telescopes.com/products/meade-3200-lunar-planetary-color-filter-set-18293.html

Also remember that Jupiter rotates once every 12 hours. The red spot will only be in a favorable position for viewing maybe 1/3 of that time.

Jupiter is bright enough that city lights won't really make much difference in how it looks, however cities are often associated with large temperature gradients that can corrupt seeing by creating convection (think of all that hot asphalt cooling in the night air. . . . ) . If you are just seeing Jupiter as a bright ball (you cannot even see brownish reddish cloud bands) even when Jupiter is high in the sky, and you do not see any rippling effect on the edges of the planet from turbulence, your scope is either out of focus or misaligned. In the latter case, take it to a telescope shop for some work. The bands are easy to spot.

Answer 2

A good view of Jupiter takes 200x or so magnification. With your telescope, that means a 4 or 5mm eyepiece (or 8 or 10 mm with a 2x barlow). You also need steady air to be able to see detail at that high a magnification. Astronomers call this "good seeing".

Good views of Jupiter are getting harder to come by, now that Jupiter is getting closer to the sun. And this year was not a particularly good year for Jupiter viewing in the Northern hemisphere, because the planet has been fairly far south. Your clearest views will be of objects high in the sky.

Jupiter is a challenging object for a small telescope, and good quality optics help a lot. Getting good quality eyepieces will help. Good orthos, at around $60 each are excellent. Plossls are also a good planetary eyepiece. To get the most out of your telescope, you need to make sure it's properly collimated. If you don't have one, get a cheshire to collimate with.

Finally, the Great Red Spot is a subtle feature. Through a small telescope, it's not so much red as a pale tan, and its contrast is low. It's most visible when it's right in the middle of the planet, and maybe 45 minutes on either side of that time. Check in Sky and Telescope or an observing guide, or use the attached link to find the transit times for the GRS.

When the GRS is transiting, study Jupiter carefully, paying special attention to brief moments of steady seeing. The spot is in the southern edge of the Southern Equatorial Band, which is the upper edge of the upper equatorial band in a reflector (from the northern hemisphere - other way around in the southern). Often times, you will find it easier to see the hollow in the belt rather than the spot itself. over time, your eye will become more practiced, and you'll be able to see more details.

Keep trying, and good luck!

Answer 3

I had a meade 4500. This scope should be capable of resolving the storm bands on jupiter and the rings around saturn. I would suspect that the problem is with the light pollution where you are using the scope. Try getting further away from nearby city lights.
Even nearby street lights can cause the problem you are describing. Also make sure you are not using to much magnification. As I remember the 4500 has a focal length of 900 mm. and comes with a 25mm lenses. This will give you 36 power by dividing the focal length by the lense. If you are using a smaller mm lense the power is increased, possibly to much.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
I have a meade 4500 telescope, how can i see Jupiter clearly and it`s red spot, Instead of a bright ball.?
I need to know what kind of lens and filter i need. Thanks

Answer 5

All the Lens that came with your telescope should be all that you need to see Jupiter. Your problem maybe your location and the visibility of the skies the night you are looking. If you are near town try heading out to a Hill about 10-25 miles away there the visibility should be much better. For other Lens look on the Manufactures website and or a hobby shop.

Answer 6

This is precisely why I advise people who ask about buying telescopes, that they should seriously consider unless they are keen to keep it up.

Viewing the planets has always been tricky - why do you think Lowell saw non-existent canals on Mars, when he had access to a telescope that most of us can only dream about owning.

Everybody thinks they are going to buy a $500 telescope and see things like the pictures in the astronomy magazines.

Your best chance is to take the telescope to a high, dry location. Otherwise, you just have to wait for the best night.

Answer 7

Barlow makes some very serious lenses. I've noticed that with their lenses that I have increased the abilities of many of the scopes I've used. I highly recommend it.

Note: Make sure you have a clock drive, otherwise you'll need to be retracking the planet about every 10 seconds at that magnitude.

Answer 8

a really strong one i would imagine

Answer 9

please tell me where did u buy that telescope and how much did it cost.