Kris.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1271
Loc: Belgium
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i had another go at Mars on tuesday morning, it's been very warm (up to 30°C) lately with almost no wind for a few days, so the atmosphere is very calm early in the morning!
this time the scope didn't sleep outside (i could be fogged out with such steady & humid conditions, so i decided to set the scope up if it should happen to be clear in the morning). the recently installed cooling fan worked well to reduce the cooldown time due to tube currents, and after just fifteen minutes jupiter showed a lot of detail, including the big red gap, big white spot, or whatever it should be appropriately named now.  the 'bowl' of the grs stood out clearly, the vague spot itself much less... the two separate southern bands joining under the grs was a very nice sight.
some interesting detail was also visible inside the northern belt. a few years ago i could observe Jupiter more frequently, and the difference in detail i could discern then and now is very clear imo. just as observing mars, jupiter takes time to get accustomed to.
next i swept the scope to the tiny red spot (trs) called mars. compared to my previous mars observation, it's only five degrees higher, but the seeing was much better: good to very good. i feel that the scope wasn't completely cooled down, but with so few detail for me to see, it didn't really matter. what was visible though was a (very) bright Hellas with Syrtis Major to the north (down), and the phase ofcourse!
i just checked all my mars sketches, the next one will be number 50 
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid 
8" dob
AstroTech 66ED/APO
TAL 120 newt.
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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frank5817
Post Laureate
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 4034
Loc: Illinois
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Kris,
Great sketches and descriptions. You really got in there on Mars. I have not even thought about observing Mars and I have seen two of your sketches already.
Your Jupiter sketch shows much detail it looks great. 
Frank 
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my gallery
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CarlosEH
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 4092
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Kris,
Excellent observations of Mars and Jupiter. You have recorded what appears to be Syrtis Major, Sabaeus Sinus and a cloud over Hellas on Mars. The Great Red Spot (GRS) and the North Equatorial Belt (NEB) exhibit some detail as well. Thank you for sharing them with us all.
Carlos
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kraterkid
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/07/05
Posts: 4526
Loc: Jacumba, California
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Kris very delicately rendered views of Jupiter and Mars!  I've always enjoyed your sketches of the Planets. Wonderful! 
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Rich
My CN Gallery
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Kris.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1271
Loc: Belgium
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thanks Frank, Carlos & Rich!
Carlos, do you think Hellas appeared so bright because of an (evening?) cloud, or could it be Hellas is just as bright as it is now?
this picture seems to indicate hellas is free from clouds, the imager managed to capture Zea Lacus within it! quite an astonishing feat for mars being so very tiny 
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
8" dob
AstroTech 66ED/APO
TAL 120 newt.
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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Shannon s
super member
Reged: 06/21/09
Posts: 123
Loc: Bartow FL.
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Great sketch Kris. You said you recently installed a cooling fan for tube currents. Is that blowing across your primary or on the bottom? I read an in Sky & telescope about a guy that had one blowing across his primary and it worked really good for tube currents.
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4.5" & 12" Reflectors
5" Maksutov
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Kris.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1271
Loc: Belgium
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hi Shannon, the fan blows on the bottom of the mirror, didn't like the idea of cutting in the tube!
i also won't be needing it that much i think, just to get the scope cooled down fast if i want a quick view/sketch session on the planets or moon. i'm pleased though i noticed the image didn't deteriorate when the fan was blowing while viewing at the same time, the vibrations are dampened well. so i can keep the fan blowing when the temperature is dropping fast in the evening.
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
8" dob
AstroTech 66ED/APO
TAL 120 newt.
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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CarlosEH
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 4092
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Kris,
I believe that you may have observed an orographic (water-ice) cloud over the Hellas impact basin (Hellas Planitia, 70 degrees West, -42.7 degrees). This massive impact basin is believed to have been formed approximately 3.9 billion years ago and reaches a depth of ~4.3 miles (~7 km; this is the depth of the crater whereas the rim reaches up to 5.6 miles (~9 km)). Orographic clouds form over Hellas during Martian Southern Summer and Autumn (Ls 180-270) as the minimal water vapor within the Martian atmosphere condenses over this basin. Albedo features (e.g. Zea Lacus and Peneus) have been detected over Hellas as observed by notable planetary astronomers such as Schiaparelli, Antoniadi, and many others in the past.
Links;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Planitia
http://cseligman.com/text/planets/marsmaps.htm
http://geology.com/articles/highest-point-on-mars.shtml
http://www.dustymars.net-a.googlepages.com/marsobserverscafe (An excellent reference for observing the planet Mars by Jeffrey D. Beish)
I have attached an observation of Mars made on April 21, 1986 (10:25 U.T.) using a 12.5-inch F/6.2 Newtonian reflector (at an impressive magnification of 700x!). It shows orographic clouds over the Hellas basin.
Happy Mars Observing!
Carlos
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JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy
Reged: 09/19/08
Posts: 903
Loc: Utah
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Kris,
Excellent details of these two wonderful planets.
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Jay in Utah
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Location: Lat: 40.514N Long: -112.032W
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.
— Ptolemy, c.150 AD
Jay's Observation Blog
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Tommy5
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/28/04
Posts: 1808
Loc: Chicagoland
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great sketches of Mars and Jupiter,the Mars sketch is really cool, getting all that detail months before opposition, the neb on jup seems particularly active this year,.
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Kris.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1271
Loc: Belgium
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thanks for the info and the very nice sketch carlos. i can't even imagine how mars looks @ 700x!!! must have been a stunning sight 
perhaps i did see an orographic cloud, hellas was much brighter than i remember from the last opposition...
that google mars site is really nice too 
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
8" dob
AstroTech 66ED/APO
TAL 120 newt.
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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frank5817
Post Laureate
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 4034
Loc: Illinois
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Kris,
You and Carlos are getting us all excited about observing and sketching Mars again as we catch up.
Frank
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my gallery
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Kris.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1271
Loc: Belgium
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Quote:
Kris,
You and Carlos are getting us all excited about observing and sketching Mars again as we catch up.
Frank
good, then we're doing our job well!
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
8" dob
AstroTech 66ED/APO
TAL 120 newt.
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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rodelaet
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/28/06
Posts: 3063
Loc: 50°56' N - 4°58' E (Belgium)
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Kris,
Excellent work!
I look forward to more of those. 
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Rony
My Astronomical Sketches
My Binocular Sketches
Callibrate your Monitor with this little strip.
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4233
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Wow, Kris--two astonishing planetary sketches! Great detail on the Jupiter sketch capturing the upheaval in the NEB. I'll post a Jupiter sketch of the other side which shows the NEB in uproar there, too.
Congratulations on your 49th Mars sketch--one can tell that sketching has definitely trained your eye for detail. I thought you might like to see these images by Christophe Pellier made about the same time as your sketch. 
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
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My CN Gallery
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Kris.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1271
Loc: Belgium
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thanks Rony & Michael,
christophe pellier's images resemble very much what i saw, though i remember the hellas area brigther than in his nice images.
i've had a look at mars on sundaymorning, but the seeing wasn't very good, and it doesn't take much to destroy the view of the tiny disk of mars, so the 50th sketch will have to wait a bit longer!
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
8" dob
AstroTech 66ED/APO
TAL 120 newt.
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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