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Is there such a thing as a new filter curse?

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When will mars be the closest to us so i can see it in detail ? What Magnifiction do you honestly need ? I've been eye'ing mars every now and then for the last month and all i ever see is a Bright red dot and nothing more.

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Personally , I wont even waist my time on Mars until late December or so . A month each side of opposition is good enough for me .
Although there's nothin' wrong with takin' a peek outside that realm , 'cause ya never know .

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LXD75 AR5
LXD75 SN8
Series 4000 Plossls
Misc. other stuff


Fort Rock , Az .

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I disagree, I use the 82# in my 15in. Dob and it does help in bring out some types detail on most planets. The Baader Moon and Sky glow filteralso works well on planets. Hope to get a chance tonight to test it on Mars.

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Good Luck .

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LXD75 AR5
LXD75 SN8
Series 4000 Plossls
Misc. other stuff


Fort Rock , Az .

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Can you not just get up a couple of hours early? Mars is nicely placed just as it's coming light, and the twilight view is usually better than it is in full darkness as the glare is somewhat reduced.

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Get up a couple hours early? That's crazy talk! I get up a quarter of six as it is. I'm a night owl. If anything, I would stay up all night until Mars is well placed, meanwhile observing everything else worth seeing in the sky. Been there, done that. That's just how I roll. But that won't do for a night before I go to work. I'll just have to wait.

Mike

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C10-NGT on 1stBase (DSO); Z8, Bosma 6" f12 MCT (NSO); 6" f5 Newt, 4.5" f4.4 Ball (Handheld RF w/GLP); C4-R, 130ST (NSO/RF/DS); 90mm f13 MCT (Luna/DS); ST80+Crayford (RF/DS); SkyMaster 25x100/15x70; Zhumell 20x80; Barska XWA 10x50/8x40 (9.5°!); CV 2.3x40 (26°!); BV-125C; CG5, CG4 (2d); SV AZ, 501HDV on 055XB, P+ on Oberwerk; QuikFinder, Telrad; 11x70 RACI Finder; Dynamo Pro, Dew-Not; Orion 5-Filter Wheel; ES 14 100°, Baader Zoom, Baader GO 9mm, Plossls, Orthos, Kellners; Barlows, Reducers

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Get up a couple hours early? That's crazy talk! I get up a quarter of six as it is.

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And from there it gains in apparent size but it wont be until 2018 or so till we see another 25.0 arc second opposition

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But unfortunately for those of us in the "far north" it will be so low that the loss in seeing conditions will more than compensate for the gain in apparent size. The best oppositions for those in Northern temperate latitudes are the couple after closest approach, when the size is still reasonable but the altitude is much greater. The last opposition was a great one ... we'll have to wait 13 - 15 years for one as good; meanwhile this year's "unfavourable" opposition at least gives us the planet at a decent altitude.

Make the best of it.

Ah, the wonders of orbital mechanics...

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Ah - you're a good candidate for a pair of PADC's from Adirondack!

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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
Dyslexics Untie!

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I may be alone in that, but I gave up on the opposition rating system in favor of getting good seeing. When that happens, the planet and the scope often take care of the rest.

Pete

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By contrast the views i have had so far this year in the last week or so have far exceeded my expectations. Mars is riding so high in the better pre-dawn air that it's taking magnifications i wouldn't normally consider. At 400x, in a very good 8" f6, it was pin sharp and with lots to see. It's well worth the effort in my opinion. I get up at 6am for work anyway, i just get up 45mins earlier.

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Hmmm... something to think about.... But getting up 45 mins earlier on a WORK day! That dog just won't hunt!

Mike

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C10-NGT on 1stBase (DSO); Z8, Bosma 6" f12 MCT (NSO); 6" f5 Newt, 4.5" f4.4 Ball (Handheld RF w/GLP); C4-R, 130ST (NSO/RF/DS); 90mm f13 MCT (Luna/DS); ST80+Crayford (RF/DS); SkyMaster 25x100/15x70; Zhumell 20x80; Barska XWA 10x50/8x40 (9.5°!); CV 2.3x40 (26°!); BV-125C; CG5, CG4 (2d); SV AZ, 501HDV on 055XB, P+ on Oberwerk; QuikFinder, Telrad; 11x70 RACI Finder; Dynamo Pro, Dew-Not; Orion 5-Filter Wheel; ES 14 100°, Baader Zoom, Baader GO 9mm, Plossls, Orthos, Kellners; Barlows, Reducers

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What about the #82A light blue (1.25")?

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I found the 80A light blue filter (30% transmission) very useful in my old 10 inch. I used it to enhance the polar caps and atmospheric features. Limb clouds really popped with this filter. It can also enhance hue differentials between some albedo features.

Mars observations: 1995 to 2005

Bill in Flag

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Grand Canyon Adventure
Lowering the Threshold

18" Obsession
4.5" Meade 4500
10x50 Swift Audubon

Cosmic Voyage

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Hey Bill , I just read & saved "lowering the threshold" . Great read & very enlightening , (pardon the pun)
Every one that hasn't read it should . Hats off !
Dave

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Thanks, Dave. I'm glad you found it illuminating

Bill in Flag

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Grand Canyon Adventure
Lowering the Threshold

18" Obsession
4.5" Meade 4500
10x50 Swift Audubon

Cosmic Voyage

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I just read the whole thread, a lot of excellent info on filters, thx guys. Sarkikos did you ever use that damn Salmon filter lol? I think you've posted around 25 posts mentioning it ROFL.

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Yes, I think I have posted that many. Well, I did try the Salmon out not long ago. It's a 2" filter, so I was limited as to how high a power I could reach with my 2" eyepieces and 2" 2x Barlow. Unfortunately I could only reach 160x with my 15mm eyepiece and the Barlow. That's nowhere near high enough magnification to see much on Mars, at least not yet, so I really can't give a final verdict on the Salmon filter. I do have an exotic 10mm 2" Rini eyepiece that I could bump up to 240x with the Barlow, which wouldn't be too bad for Mars. I've got to remember to put the Rini in my eyepiece case next time. What I would really like, though, is a 1.25" Salmon filter. I guess I'll have to break down and get it from Vernonscope along with the adapter ring. (What were they thinking???)

In any case, lately I've had some good nights observing Mars. I've actually been able to see some detail with my 8" Newt on a Dob mount! Check out these two threads:

Which filters for Mars in a filter wheel?

Mars is killing me!

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So what filter(s) should I get for an 10" dob? Which ones would have helped me out last night?

After reading the whole thread this is what you guys recommended:

#23A, #25A, #30, #80, #82A, #85, Baader Planetarium Contrast Booster Filter (Combines with the Baader Infrared Cut-Filter. In this combination all blue scatter as well as unfocused near infrared light is completely removed - an absolute must for digital imaging!)

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23A, #25A, #30, #80, #82A, #85, Baader Planetarium Contrast Booster Filter (Combines with the Baader Infrared Cut-Filter. In this combination all blue scatter as well as unfocused near infrared light is completely removed - an absolute must for digital imaging!)

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Check out these two threads:

Which filters for Mars in a filter wheel?

Mars is killing me!

Clear Skies,
Mike

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Thx, reading them now, nice to see the 2 Davids (Knisely and Mitsky) have thrown in their opinion as well, they always have good advice too.

Nice threads again, please keep updating them with your filter experiments, I've yet to buy a filter, besides a Polarizing filter so I'm looking to buy some now, will probably buy the 23-25a's and 80-82a's and will keep looking for an 85 and CC30M 1.25" as well. I'll have to start looking for some Saturn ones pretty soon too and definately ned to buy either a black polymer or baader solar filter as well...

What do you use on something like M42?

Anyways back to Mars: thx for all the info, I need to find one that's great for imaging as well, I wonder what that Baader contrast booster would do hmmmm...

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A Speck of Dust
Orion SkyQuest XT10
Pentax XW 5mm
Televue 24mm Pan
Televue 9mm Nagler
TV Barlow 2x, 3x
Canon Powershot A590 IS
Itouch + Starmap Pro
www.AfocalAstrophotography.com



Edited by NorthWolf (11/25/09 08:35 AM)

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What do you use on something like M42?

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David Knisely advises a UHC filter for M42. Per my understanding, true UHC filters would include DGM Optics NPB and Orion UltraBlock. I've tried at least one of each of the basic types of DSO filters on M42: Lumicon DeepSky, Orion SkyGlow, Celestron UHC/LPR (actually a narrower type of broadband, not a true UHC),DGM NPB, Orion UltraBlock, Lumicon OIII, Lumicon H-Beta. They all give different and at least interesting views of M42. But IMHO if you could pick only one, a good UHC filter, like David said, is probably the best for M42. David advises an H-Beta filter for M43. I've tried that under my red zone light-polluted skies at home, but have not come to a final verdict on that filter for M43. All I can say at this point is that it gave an "interesting" effect. Maybe it needs a dark sky site to be really useful on M43.

David Knisely has an article somewhere on CN in which he lists his advice on filters for many DSO, or he cites a website that has his list. I haven't been able to find it this morning. If I can find it I'll give it here.

By the way, I like broadband light pollution filters, such as Lumicon DeepSky, for Mars. David has said that the DeepSky is good for white clouds and polar caps on Mars, but I found it made the maria pop, also. (Mandatory on-thread comment. )

Clear Skies,
Mike

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C10-NGT on 1stBase (DSO); Z8, Bosma 6" f12 MCT (NSO); 6" f5 Newt, 4.5" f4.4 Ball (Handheld RF w/GLP); C4-R, 130ST (NSO/RF/DS); 90mm f13 MCT (Luna/DS); ST80+Crayford (RF/DS); SkyMaster 25x100/15x70; Zhumell 20x80; Barska XWA 10x50/8x40 (9.5°!); CV 2.3x40 (26°!); BV-125C; CG5, CG4 (2d); SV AZ, 501HDV on 055XB, P+ on Oberwerk; QuikFinder, Telrad; 11x70 RACI Finder; Dynamo Pro, Dew-Not; Orion 5-Filter Wheel; ES 14 100°, Baader Zoom, Baader GO 9mm, Plossls, Orthos, Kellners; Barlows, Reducers

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When will mars be the closest to us so i can see it in detail ? What Magnifiction do you honestly need ? I've been eye'ing mars every now and then for the last month and all i ever see is a Bright red dot and nothing more.

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Personally , I wont even waist my time on Mars until late December or so . A month each side of opposition is good enough for me .
Although there's nothin' wrong with takin' a peek outside that realm , 'cause ya never know .

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I might even go so far as to say 2018

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May your skies always be clear,

Ziggy
www.slas.us

4" Mak
#1, 160mm F8 TEC (born 1-18-2007, 27 lbs, 45.5" long), on AP900
6" F17.5 (D&G lens) (first light 6-7-2008)
9" F/14.9 Alvan Clark (1915), on Byers 812
14.25 F/5.5 Newt in a roll off observatory
Others, that have come and gone

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