HEADS UP! Possible Clear Skies tonight!

questionmak · Post by **questionmak** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:20 pm

Hi Guys,

For those of us in Singapore, there seems to be large swaths of blue sky at the moment.

Think the improvement in seeing conditions will carry over till tonight.?

Regards,

?mak

kingkong · Post by **kingkong** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:22 pm

most like it will for tonight... i just hope it'll carry until this weekend...

Post by **rcj** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:01 pm

yes, it should. as long as the typhoon structure "tightens up", we will have clear skies for a few days. Once the structure breaks, it will be cloudy again. Imaging tonight hopefully!

questionmak · Post by **questionmak** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:12 am

Ah well it was good while it lasted..

Canopus Lim · Post by **Canopus Lim** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:30 am

The sky was pretty clear and I managed to do about 1h observation of Jupiter. Since Jupiter is now about opposition, it was real impressive! It was huge!

With my scope (12.5" reflector), I observed multiple belts (easily more than 7) in the southern side. I finally saw the Red Spot (the 2nd one after the GRS.), the GRS had lots of details inside it and there was a white oval near the GRS. The red spot was not as red as I thought it would be but nonetheless looks pretty cool to be near the GRS. The SEB was thick with lots of swirls inside and the GRS like an egg nesting on it. There were also 4 festoons that were beige in colour. Festoons are features that connect between the SEB and NEB and sometimes festoons look bluish. This time it was beige/ light brown kind of colour and I saw 4 of them. The NEB was thick reddish with a dark red barge at the end of it. Cool. The North Temperate belt was also split in 2 and there were multiple belts in the North too. I guess this is the most number of belts I seen on Jupiter..probably more than 20.

The seeing was fantastic at 10pm but progressively got worse. I could barlow my 8mm TV Plossl and it gave a pleasing 400x with a sharp Jupiter and full of details. I was rather overwhelm with the amount of details..information overload! When the seeing got worse, I used my 8mm TV Plossl, and it gave really the best Jupiter images compared to other eyepieces. Contrast in the belts, details in the GRS is a notch above other planetary eyepieces because of its high transmission in red. Jupiter is a target that comprises a lot of red, and hence 'warm' eyepieces will do better with most of the features seen on it.

Attached is my sketch of Jupiter. The scanner is not too good and thus quite a lot of details in my sketch were faded or loss.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1519 ... 708hw8.jpg

Post by **weixing** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:05 am

Hi,

Since Jupiter is now about opposition, it was real impressive!

The Jupiter opposition over already... was on 09 July 2008.

Anyway, I was observing the Jupiter at around the same time using my R200SS... notice the GRS at 100x and saw it clearly at 160x... very nice and happy to see the GRS after such long period of cloudy night.

Have a nice day.

questionmak · Post by **questionmak** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:43 am

Yup it was a very small window of opportunity tonight....a brief respite fromt the past weeks of cloudy weather....unfortunately all too brief. There's another Punggai trip coming up end august yes? who's going?

Canopus Lim · Post by **Canopus Lim** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:53 pm

weixing wrote:Hi,
Since Jupiter is now about opposition, it was real impressive!
The Jupiter opposition over already... was on 09 July 2008.

Anyway, I was observing the Jupiter at around the same time using my R200SS... notice the GRS at 100x and saw it clearly at 160x... very nice and happy to see the GRS after such long period of cloudy night.

Have a nice day.

Ha yah... I only knew it was in July. I said 'about' opposition.

Yup also long time I never really see the GRS and especially for a few months I did not bring out my scope.

Post by **rcj** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:59 pm

last night was not very good at my end....thin haze.... today it is starting off good again. hopefully no more thin haze..

questionmak · Post by **questionmak** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:57 am

Early this morning was pretty clear through out. Anyone managed to image anything?