87 replies to this topic

[davidc135]

A second attempt at Mars this morning between 4.30 and 5.00 local time with the planet between 5^o and 10^o above horizon. At least I saw it but I could make out no detail. Pretty good seeing with the outline moderately well defined at times so I thought I'd be able to make out the SPC but no luck. I expect I was being over optimistic with the altitude being in only single figures although I did see a mention of dust storms around Hellas. But I doubt if that's the explanation.

 

To counter atmospheric dispersion I had picked out a few microscope slides with reasonable figures and knocked up a couple of 2^o prisms using uv cured optical cement which were held up to the eyepiece. They helped but a bit more experimentation needed but that will wait until the end of the month.

 

Magnifications of x60 and x120 with the 8.5'' slow Dob.

 

David

Edited by davidc135, 07 May 2022 - 03:33 AM.

[CHASLX200]

I gave up on it. Just won't get high after 5 months.

[vdog]

I made another attempt this morning but the seeing has been really bad the last few days and I could not see much. I did get a decent look at Saturn, which was higher in the sky than the others. 

[Special Ed]

I looked at the Red Planet this morning with the unaided eye as I was taking a short break from my Saturn observation.  At about 5:00 EDT, it rose above the treeline to the SE of my observatory.  It was 14 degrees altitude at the time, the seeing was poor, and Saturn was about 5 degrees higher so I took a pass on it.

[davidc135]

Another morning of fine seeing wasted for want of setting circles on my ricketty 8.5'' Dob. Plus my lazy Susan azimuth bearing needs a brake to slow it down. I picked up Mars in the bins easily but could I find it in my far too small finder? But I know what I have to do.

 

David

[csphere.d]

I spent some time with Mars this morning at 143x in my 4" refractor.  Mars is now at 6 arcsecs and was at around 27 degrees altitude at the time of my viewing.  Seeing was good at times so I was able to resolve the disk in its gibbous phase (88% illuminated according to the almanac).  The disk was pale orange in color with a dark albedo feature in the southern hemisphere which I later identified as Mare Sirenum.  Also, there was a definite white brightness along the Southern Polar Region.  

 

I would say we are still a couple months away from more productive and reliable observations, but its still fun to see what we can see now!

[vdog]

Better seeing this morning, but it was still a struggle to pick up the details I'd seen previously.  The polar cap, which was fairly easy to pick up before, was more of a challenge today.  I wonder if it's already shrinking or if maybe there are some dust storms getting in the way.  

Edited by vdog, 14 May 2022 - 10:35 AM.

[Special Ed]

Clyde Foster, posting images on ALPO-Japan, doesn't think there is any appreciable dust in the atmosphere.  It is about mid-spring (Ls 225) in the Martian southern hemisphere, so the SPC will be shrinking but is still fairly large in images.

[Jeff B1]

Clyde Foster, posting images on ALPO-Japan, doesn't think there is any appreciable dust in the atmosphere.  It is about mid-spring (Ls 225) in the Martian southern hemisphere, so the SPC will be shrinking but is still fairly large in images.

Looking at the history of SPC widths, ALPO files, the SPC average width should be 40.4° (+/- 7.5°) so, Clyde's 2022-05-14 image measures 44.1° on 2022-05-14-0238UT (Ls 227.3°).    Ref:  http://www.alpo-astr...ing_Mars_3.html

 

NOTE:  Mars is 6" apparent dia so the errors will be a bit high, so take my image measurement close to a grain of salt.  It appears that the hood has dissipated, so the ice cap is revealed.

 

Clyde’s May 11, 2022 image is a little better, so the results may be closer to the truth:  SPC width 46.4° and the cap is clear of the terminator.

Edited by Jeff B1, 14 May 2022 - 03:19 PM.

[Exnihilo]

Lol, just noting it naked eye for now, but waiting . . . 

[davidc135]

Another beautiful morning and the dawn chorus got me out of bed and looking at the planets. I watched Mars from 4.00 BST (UT +1 hr) until 5.20 during which the planet's altitude increased from 9^o to 20^o with image sharpness improving all the while in the fine seeing.

 

C.M around 260^o

 

I managed a bit of detail; an equatorial smudge and the SPC becoming more convincing as the session went on, at least from time to time. The SPC appeared quite a bit smaller than currently showing in the images forum.

 

There was a suggestion of a paler band at the North pole extending a little way along the limb but with such a tiny object at the low magnification of x124 in my 214mm Dob I wonder how much artifacts and imagination contributed to details observed. Still, very glad to have made the effort.

 

Any observations with larger apertures from more southern latitudes?

 

David

[vdog]

Another beautiful morning and the dawn chorus got me out of bed and looking at the planets. I watched Mars from 4.00 BST (UT +1 hr) until 5.20 during which the planet's altitude increased from 9^o to 20^o with image sharpness improving all the while in the fine seeing.

 

C.M around 260^o

 

I managed a bit of detail; an equatorial smudge and the SPC becoming more convincing as the session went on, at least from time to time. The SPC appeared quite a bit smaller than currently showing in the images forum.

 

There was a suggestion of a paler band at the North pole extending a little way along the limb but with such a tiny object at the low magnification of x124 in my 214mm Dob I wonder how much artifacts and imagination contributed to details observed. Still, very glad to have made the effort.

 

Any observations with larger apertures from more southern latitudes?

 

David

My observations were very similar. Here I saw maria detail a bit better than a "smudge;" there were some edges and definition, and the SPC was distinct the whole time.

 

Oh, and always a pleasure to see another conjunction.  It's been a veritable dance of planets the past few months in the morning sky. 

[jrkirkham]

I turned my telescope toward Mars & Jupiter this morning. It was my first time observing it this apparition.