Next help viewing Mars with a Celestron Nexstar

I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with 4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

TIA

try the 10mm eyepice without the barlow, and maybe a filter (orange for some
surface features, blue or green if you want to see the polar cap well). in
any case you're going to be at the mercy of the local seeing -- mars often
*is* pretty blurry.

"Steve" wrote in message
news:wog3b.214838$cF.70486@rwcrnsc53...
I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with
4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

try the 10mm eyepice without the barlow, and maybe a filter (orange for some
surface features, blue or green if you want to see the polar cap well). in
any case you're going to be at the mercy of the local seeing -- mars often
*is* pretty blurry.

"Steve" wrote in message
news:wog3b.214838$cF.70486@rwcrnsc53...
I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with
4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

Yes ..

Off course, if seeing permits...


I got better views 8 weeks ago with my 5" SCT than I've been able to get
this week with my 8" SCT: Too little transparency due to a tropical
storm nearby.

Phil

Nenad Zufic wrote:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 05:26:52 GMT, "Steve" wrote:


I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm),
with 4 filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an
adjustable 2-3x barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars
from this telescope? I tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting
and Mars appeared a little blurry with very difficult to make out
features. This scope is a 4.5 inch aperture with a 1000mm focal
length. Any suggestions on how to improve my viewing?

TIA



I have a similar scope (4.5", 900mm fl). I've achieved the best vievs
with the combination of 10mm eyepiece and 2x barlow (180x
magnification). I manage to see plenty of larger details on the surface
of Mars.
I sugest you try the same, only in your case the same combination would
yield 200x magnification.

Off course, if seeing permits...

Be patient, it will be worth it!

Clear & steady Skies!

Yes ..

Off course, if seeing permits...


I got better views 8 weeks ago with my 5" SCT than I've been able to get
this week with my 8" SCT: Too little transparency due to a tropical
storm nearby.

Phil

Nenad Zufic wrote:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 05:26:52 GMT, "Steve" wrote:


I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm),
with 4 filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an
adjustable 2-3x barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars
from this telescope? I tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting
and Mars appeared a little blurry with very difficult to make out
features. This scope is a 4.5 inch aperture with a 1000mm focal
length. Any suggestions on how to improve my viewing?

TIA



I have a similar scope (4.5", 900mm fl). I've achieved the best vievs
with the combination of 10mm eyepiece and 2x barlow (180x
magnification). I manage to see plenty of larger details on the surface
of Mars.
I sugest you try the same, only in your case the same combination would
yield 200x magnification.

Off course, if seeing permits...

Be patient, it will be worth it!

Clear & steady Skies!

I am a newbie, so take this with a grain of salt. . .

I have read and heard that the adjustable barlows are not worth the money
(go with a straight 2x).

A 10mm with that scope (no barlow) will yield a 100x, with the 2x barlow you
will get 200x, and with a 3x you will get 300x. The scope is limited to
269x which is pushing it. You lose some optical quality in the adjustable
barlow, so you probably will max out at the 2x setting (200x).

I have an Orion Starmax 127mm Mak and got great detail (ice cap and grey
bands in center) with a straight 12.4mm (Mead 4000 series) plossl. When I
tried my 2x barlow, the image degraded so I stuck to the 12.4 alone. I have
a focal length of 1540mm which yields 124x with the 12.4mm.

It is not all about power, it is about light (of course Mars is very bright.
.. .)

-=SkyHawke=-

"Steve" wrote in message
news:wog3b.214838$cF.70486@rwcrnsc53...
I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with
4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

TIA

I am a newbie, so take this with a grain of salt. . .

I have read and heard that the adjustable barlows are not worth the money
(go with a straight 2x).

A 10mm with that scope (no barlow) will yield a 100x, with the 2x barlow you
will get 200x, and with a 3x you will get 300x. The scope is limited to
269x which is pushing it. You lose some optical quality in the adjustable
barlow, so you probably will max out at the 2x setting (200x).

I have an Orion Starmax 127mm Mak and got great detail (ice cap and grey
bands in center) with a straight 12.4mm (Mead 4000 series) plossl. When I
tried my 2x barlow, the image degraded so I stuck to the 12.4 alone. I have
a focal length of 1540mm which yields 124x with the 12.4mm.

It is not all about power, it is about light (of course Mars is very bright.
.. .)

-=SkyHawke=-

"Steve" wrote in message
news:wog3b.214838$cF.70486@rwcrnsc53...
I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with
4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

TIA

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 05:26:52 GMT, "Steve"
wrote:

I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with 4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

TIA

If this is the same scope that costco was selling you need to
collimnate it first.
The club I belong to had a mars party for the public and alot of
people showed up with these units. Nice little scope and I had a look
through several of them.
But while the sun was still setting we were running around helping
people learn how to set them up, we noticed that the MAJORITY of them
were WAY out of adjustment. And the instruction manuals way of
collimnation leaves ALOT to be desired.
And out of alignment will give you bad views. There are SEVERAL web
sites about doing collimnation, just do a search on google.com or even
sky and telesopes website has a How To for this..
www.skyandtelescope.com I think is the address.

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 05:26:52 GMT, "Steve"
wrote:

I have a Celestron 114gt telescope with a 2 eyepieces (10mm & 25mm), with 4
filters (pale blue, orange, violet, yellow/green) and an adjustable 2-3x
barlow. What would be the best way to view Mars from this telescope? I
tried a 25 mm piece with a 3x barlow setting and Mars appeared a little
blurry with very difficult to make out features. This scope is a 4.5 inch
aperture with a 1000mm focal length. Any suggestions on how to improve my
viewing?

TIA

If this is the same scope that costco was selling you need to
collimnate it first.
The club I belong to had a mars party for the public and alot of
people showed up with these units. Nice little scope and I had a look
through several of them.
But while the sun was still setting we were running around helping
people learn how to set them up, we noticed that the MAJORITY of them
were WAY out of adjustment. And the instruction manuals way of
collimnation leaves ALOT to be desired.
And out of alignment will give you bad views. There are SEVERAL web
sites about doing collimnation, just do a search on google.com or even
sky and telesopes website has a How To for this..
www.skyandtelescope.com I think is the address.