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Got up early this morning at 4:45 to check out the gas giants through the TV-102. Thought it might be easier if I left my scope on the mount in the evening and cover it with a desert storm shield. It was a great feeling to carry the setup into position in one trip. I really like the Gibralter mount. And you are probably sick of hearing just how much I like the telescope. Started observations with Jupiter through the 14mm Pentax at 63X. Could easily make out the atmospheric banding and three of the four Galilean moons were visible. Some differential coloration was evident, although I could have been fooling myself on seeing the true colors. Swept over to Saturn using same set-up. The Cassini division in the rings was the first thing I noticed. The division was clear and obvious. However, the planet was very small. Changed to the 9 mm Nagler for 98X and was even more pleased. Slight banding just below the rings were visible. The image began to deteriorate, so just looked up and there were the inevitable clouds coming in. Don't know if it was fog or a big cloud, but Jupiter was still out. Included the TV Big Barlow with the 9mm for 196X. WOW. The image was much more dim, but detail was there. The banding in the big planet was clear and I hoped for a possible glimpse of the fourth moon coming back into view but now I was fighting the clouds big time. The scope was begging for more magnification. But that is my current maximum. (When are the guys from Pocono opening that new shop?) Saturn opened momentarily but the sky was not very cooperative. The image was breaking down as the clouds rolled through. Closed up shop around 5:30 a.m. A suggestion to myself is to get up about 1/2 hour earlier and to also use a hood to block the neighborhood lights. The moon will be approaching this region in a few days and might be a nice view.
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