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Pages: 1 Bill M journeyman Reged: 11/27/11 Loc: Ironwood Mi Mars Visual Features?       #5080566 - 02/19/12 04:16 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Where can I find the current features for mars at a given date/time?? Thanks Bill Post Extras:       planet earth Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/07/10 Loc: Ontario Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Bill M]       #5080715 - 02/19/12 05:44 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I don't have the link, but you can google Mars Previwer II and download it. Clear Skies Sam Post Extras:       Bill M journeyman Reged: 11/27/11 Loc: Ironwood Mi Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: planet earth]       #5080944 - 02/19/12 07:31 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thank you! Just what the doctor orded. Best Skies! Bill Post Extras:       Asbytec Guy in a furry hat Reged: 08/08/07 Loc: La Union, PI Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: planet earth]       #5080948 - 02/19/12 07:33 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Mars Previewer II is on Sky and Telescope web site. It's pretty detailed. Here's another. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/javascript/mars Post Extras:       planet earth Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/07/10 Loc: Ontario Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Asbytec]       #5081453 - 02/20/12 03:20 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Here's another. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/javascript/mars I didn't know about that one. Somehow I missed it. Thanks Sam Post Extras:       azure1961p Postmaster Reged: 01/17/09 Loc: USA Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: planet earth]       #5081617 - 02/20/12 09:15 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If you have an iPhone Id recommend MARS HD. Its actually stunningly good. Pete Post Extras:       starrancher Carpal Tunnel Reged: 06/09/09 Loc: Northern Arizona Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: azure1961p]       #5082717 - 02/20/12 09:03 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: If you have an iPhone Id recommend MARS HD. Its actually stunningly good. Pete Pete , Does this app show the surface from our vantage point in real time ? Thanks Dave Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Bill M]       #5091135 - 02/25/12 10:13 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If you just want to see what is visible at a given time (not including feature names), you might find the JPL simulator to be very useful for all solar system objects. Put in the time, then just select "Mars" and choose the "As seen from Earth" in the pull-down menus. Then click on the "I want the body" button and put in something like 50% or 75%. This will let you see pretty much what is visible on any body in the solar system. http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/ Edited by Eddgie (02/25/12 10:16 PM) Post Extras:       cheapersleeper Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/22/10 Loc: Sachse TX Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Eddgie]       #5091348 - 02/26/12 12:44 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Eddgie, thanks for that, I find it really exciting to have immediate confirmation for what I am seeing. Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: cheapersleeper]       #5091402 - 02/26/12 01:13 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Yes, this is a good tool. I use Starry Night Pro, but this is free and available to anyone. I use these to confirm my visual observations all the time. Post Extras:       Asbytec Guy in a furry hat Reged: 08/08/07 Loc: La Union, PI Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Eddgie]       #5091450 - 02/26/12 02:11 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Yes, the JPL sim is very good. You can use it for Mars and Ganymede, as well. Damian Peach has an outstanding albedo map of Mars with labels. I use this quite often. http://www.damianpeach.com/images/mars/mars_2005dp_labeled.jpg Post Extras:       cheapersleeper Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/22/10 Loc: Sachse TX Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Asbytec]       #5091466 - 02/26/12 02:35 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It looks as if that Peach set of images has a great deal more polar cap than we do currently. What I am seeing is much closer to the JPL sim. Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: cheapersleeper]       #5091858 - 02/26/12 11:03 AM Attachment (26 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I do not know if the JPL simulation is updated, but as luck would have it, I was out with the C14 last night and did the JPL simulation to confirm my Mars observations. The JPL simulation showed the polar cap to be almost exactly as it appeared in the C14. I could see that the tilt of the planet placed the polar cap slightly in from the limb, and this is what I observed in the eyepeice. The simulation did not however show the very bright cresent of atmosphere on the west limb. This was very bright and spread in quite far from the limb. Here is the simulation. I was able to see a great deal of this detail last night. Seeing was terrible, but with patience, all of the dark features presented here were resolve fairly well matching the shapes of all major features shown here. The Mariner Valley was difficult because of the previously mentioned atmospheric cresent, but I saw it as a tiny, faint fairly straight scratch at least 3 times when seeing allowed. I can't draw at all, but I have edited this picture to show how well the simulation agreed with my visual observations. The Red denotes the approximate shapes I observed, and the yellow shows features that were only glimpsed. Mariner Valley extended into the atmospheric limb brightening and was difficult... There was a bit of structure in the terras, but again, I am not an artist. Edited by Eddgie (02/26/12 11:34 AM) Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Eddgie]       #5091917 - 02/26/12 11:29 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I flipped the picture horizontally to make it easier to do my visual sighting confirmations. That is why the text is reversed. I was not positive I was seeing Mariner Valley and needed to flip the picture so I could verify the angle for a positive identification. Post Extras:       cheapersleeper Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/22/10 Loc: Sachse TX Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Eddgie]       #5092037 - 02/26/12 12:37 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   That is what I was seeing and I noted the brightening on the limb but did not know if it was real. At 300x I did not see that little comma shaped feature that extends into Tharsis as separate from the larger dark area. Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: cheapersleeper]       #5092098 - 02/26/12 01:10 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Very real and spread in quite a bit from the limb. The blue in my picture on the oppisite limb as not nearly as pronounced, and covered a much smaller arc, but was quite distinct. And Mars was far to high for it to have been atmospheric (earth) fringing. Post Extras:       cheapersleeper Carpal Tunnel Reged: 01/22/10 Loc: Sachse TX Re: Mars Visual Features? [Re: Eddgie]       #5092113 - 02/26/12 01:17 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Not perfectly on topic, but interesting: I have a few filters and have had very little success with them with regard to planetary observing. This morning, was different. In my 12" the cheap Zhumell version of the Moon and Skyglow filter really enhanced the contrast on Mars. The difference was notable and much different from the "it's not doing anything" reaction that I have had trying it on Jupiter. Edited by cheapersleeper (02/26/12 01:19 PM) Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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