4 April 2026 - More Messier and failed GEM setup
I have been disappointed with views of the planets in my C8 SCT ( Celestron 8" Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope). I am not seeing the level of detail it should provide. On Jupiter I can regularly see the North and South Equatorial Bands, but no detail in them and only occasional hints of other bands. There are several potential reasons for this, especially sky conditions. I live in a mountain valley between two significant mountain ranges. The highest range, the Bitterroots, are just west of me and very rugged. This means there can be significant disturbances to the airflow above me affecting seeing . To test this out I wanted to set up my old 4.5" Newtonian Reflector on a German Equatorial Mount (GEM, or just "equatorial", for short). I had not used it in several years. This telescope is old enough that it uses 0.965" eyepieces. Over 20 years ago I remember using it in alt-az mode and seeing the Great Red Spot and more detail than I am getting now with the SCT. T...