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More mars detail

Steve777

By Steve777
in Observing - Planetary

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Steve777

Steve777

Posted
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After being blinded by the moon, I saw different detail on Mars tonight, hint of a broken semi-circle toward the top of my view and a distinct red-brown marking toward the bottom. Pleasing considering the moon & Jupiter wasn't bad either.

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Stridor

Stridor

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You were quite lucky with Mars; I didnt find I could gather any detail due to the proximity of the very bright near full Moon. Jupiter was very good though, although I have routinely used my 13mm (180x) eyepiece , I found Jupiter a bit `wobbly` and went down to 17mm (138x) which showed a much better image with not much loss of magnification. A few of the regular Open Clusters were about the only other things I had any luck with. I finished off by viewing the Moon; was then nearly blinded, and packed up!

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cotterless45

cotterless45

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Probably a brief session with some of the finest most delicate detail on Mars last night. The forecast was for clear sky all night, up to midnight it wasn't .

With an 8.8mm Meade 4000 and x2 Barlow ( x273) and no filter, viewing through thin cloud provided three bright areas including a small very bright polar area. The surface was a dusky, delicate with a darker band to one pole and two other lighter areas to the other pole. Very pleased with the view,

Nick.

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jetstream

jetstream

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Probably a brief session with some of the finest most delicate detail on Mars last night. The forecast was for clear sky all night, up to midnight it wasn't .

With an 8.8mm Meade 4000 and x2 Barlow ( x273) and no filter, viewing through thin cloud provided three bright areas including a small very bright polar area. The surface was a dusky, delicate with a darker band to one pole and two other lighter areas to the other pole. Very pleased with the view,

Nick.

This is how I am seeing Mars right now.For the first time some nice detail is visible,bright white cap,dark band in the middle,orange patches above and below the band and a shaded opposite pole.I am surprised how much magnification Mars can take-300x with the Nagler zoom is best.Awesome view.Now waiting for the "Blood" moon!What a night :smiley:

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Peter Drew

Peter Drew

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Observers keep complaining about the poor old Moon but some of the better Mars images being reported are due to the bright Moon reducing the glare of the planets, specially Mars, which can swamp the fine detail. Provided that you have a 8"+ aperture it's worth looking at the planets in a light sky provided that they are high enough at the time. Jupiter is well placed for this at the moment, pick it up at around 8pm. Mars will benefit from early viewing in due course, some of the best views I've had of Mars have been after sunrise in the past.  :smiley:

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John

John

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I thought Mars looked fabulous last night even though the Moon was 99.8% illuminated and close by. Over a period of 3 hours the rotation of the disk was obvious as the Syrtis Major disappeared around the western limb of the planet and the other dark features crept towards the central meridian. Probably some of my best views of the red planet ever last night :smiley:

The seeing was pretty stable too - 318x / 398x both gave finely detailed views.

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Qualia

Qualia

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I've been a little heavy handed with some of the shading, but this is pretty much what I was able to capture early this morning. Skies have been very giving this week. The days are quite hot, around 30ºC and the evening's are now t-shirt and maybe a light pullover. 

post-21324-0-58333100-1397570749_thumb.j

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Rustysplit

Rustysplit

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Superb sketch Qualia. You have caught the feel of the different contrasts perfectly.

Mars was cracking last night. Viewing at 300x with plenty to see. I picked up a TV Mars type A filter yesterday. I will post up the results of that a bit later today in a separate thread.

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StarSapling

StarSapling

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I had my best views of Mars, this opposition, last night.  I decided to go out and observe Mars earlier than normal.  Mars was only about 25 degrees above the southeastern horizon, so I wasn't really expecting to see much; I was very pleasantly surprised - Mare Acidalium was on or near the central meridian of the disk and was very prominant.  I could follow Acidalium south to where it joined Niliacus Lacus, east of which I caught glimpses of the Nilokeras/Achillis Fons/Idaeus Fons region.   South of Niliacus Lacus was Chryse, south of which I could see a very fore-shortened part of the Mare Erythraeum region.  Based on what I observed and identified, I them located the landing areas of Pathfinder, in Chryse, and Viking 1, south of Achillis Fons.  All in all, not bad for a wee 90mm @ 142x!

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Owmuchonomy

Owmuchonomy

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Can you send me some of your air ? I could only get to about 120x and so was underwhelmed. Being a Mars novice I stuck on my green filter and hey presto saw the dark features and 1 pole. Think I'll get out now and try again based on your enthusiasm!

Chris

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Steve777

Steve777

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Martin, Yeah I get that wobbly thing with Jupiter, 8mm I suspect would help. Nick sounds like a super view! Brilliant drawings here, I must try one time! Starsapling: sounds like you had a super view!

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Laurie61

Laurie61

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I will give Mars a go tonight, have set up the c11. The Jet stream has moved north of UK over the last 24 hrs so that's one thing less to worry about tonight  :smiley: There is some cloud here but hoping it will melt away  :rolleyes: humidity levels are also lowish so not to much dewing up either  :smiley:

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John

John

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Things are still improving here, just grabbed a quick afocal image.  

attachicon.gifmarsc11.2.1.png

Thats lovely. I'm seeing just that view with my Istar 6" F/12 refractor right now at 257x :grin:

That pale area just S of the Syritis Major could easily get mistaken for another polar cap couldn't it ?

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Stu

Stu

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Nice one Laurie. Getting some very nice views down here too. Seeing is wobbly as ever over the houses but I've just been enjoying the steadier gap between them. Good detail coming through, spoiled just now by a plane flying past, completely trashed it so have come on for a quick cup of tea :-)

Stu

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Stu

Stu

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Thats lovely. I'm seeing just that view with my Istar 6" F/12 refractor right now at 257x :grin:

That pale area just S of the Syritis Major could easily get mistaken for another polar cap couldn't it ?

Yes, do you know what it is John, can't see it on any maps/apps....

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kerrylewis

kerrylewis

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I can confirm that. Lovely seeing tonight. Slightly hazy skies as there were a few days ago. I have had Mars up to almost 400x tonight. Tangible feeling of looking at a globe with the different subtle shadings. Just what I hoped for out of opposition.

Taking a break now and hoping that the seeing holds up for Saturn.

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John

John

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The view through your Istar must be breathtaking John.

I'm dead chuffed with it. This is the first real session I've had with the scope properly mounted. It's quite a hassle to set up but it's doing really well. I've got 360x on Mars at the moment and the view is holding up very nicely. The colours and contrast seem more pronounced than with my 12" dob but that might be the conditions.

I think that pale area is Hellas. 

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Laurie61

Laurie61

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 - 10:27 PM, said:

Thats lovely. I'm seeing just that view with my Istar 6" F/12 refractor right now at 257x :grin:

That pale area just S of the Syritis Major could easily get mistaken for another polar cap couldn't it ?

Yes it does look like another polar cap, especially when you are not sure of the planets orientation.  :smiley: I have been using my 11 mm TV plossl in the c11 which is almost the same mag at 254 X

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