Mars tonight

[JulianFR]

I STILL haven't really had a clear run with my new SW Flextube since I bought it so it was out with the SW 120 frac tonight to dodge the clouds.

I did get to see Andromrda galaxy (finding it quite easily at last!), Jupiter and, for the first time for ages, Mars around midnight.

I viewed Mars through the WO 6mm and must admit rivers smaller than I thought it would be, and of course in the f5 120 there was a fair bit of CA. I did try it with the neodymium filter but not sure it made much difference.

Was still a real thrill to see though.

I assume it would have been a lot more detailed in the 300 Dob though.

[Charic]

.........that's a shame, Was just logging off ready for bed, when I read this thread. Switched on Stellarium, and had a peek outside, and sure enough, I'm seeing Mars. I'm thinking it looks bigger than the last time I saw it? However, its too cold and windy to set up the Skyliner, so these 7x50's will suffice. Hopefully my Barlow arrives later, and tonight's sky is a clear one?

[JulianFR]

'rivers smaller than I thought...' should have been 'it was smaller than I thought...'

The bizarre world of my spellchecker!

Would be interesting if I had really seen rivers :-O

[lukebl]

Mars is always a tricky one to observe and tease out the detail visually, and the current opposition will be a poor one (only reaching 15" across, compared to 24" at the 2018 opposition). It is often disappointing, just appearing as an orange blob, but it's worth he effort and the 300 would definitely be better. Also, having a 'day' similar to earth's it will show the same face night after night, and one side shows less features than the other.

[GarethA]

It will certainly be better in your dob - I was observing early this morning through a 250mm newt and it was certainly showing polar cap and some surface texture.

[DommyDevil18]

Mars is always a tricky one to observe and tease out the detail visually, and the current opposition will be a poor one (only reaching 15" across, compared to 24" at the 2018 opposition). It is often disappointing, just appearing as an orange blob, but it's worth he effort and the 300 would definitely be better. Also, having a 'day' similar to earth's it will show the same face night after night, and one side shows less features than the other.

Ironic thing that because I tend to think Mars is easy to spot because of its distinct Orangey Red disc through my Binoculars but I know people who do find it hard to distinguish because sometimes especially when Scorpio is out because of Antares they both with the Naked Eye. But apparently this years opposition is said to be really good.

[lukebl]

...But apparently this years opposition is said to be really good.

I'm afraid you're not quite right there.

In terms of its size, it's one of the worst oppositions! Here's a list of the next few oppositions and its maximum apparent size. The one benefit is that it will reach a reasonable altitude for northern observers. The 2018 opposition will be so far south that it will only be about 12 degrees above the horizon at opposition from the southern UK..

2014 Apr 8     15.1"     

2016 May 22     18.4"     

2018 Jul 27     24.1"     

2020 Oct 13     22.3"

2022 Dec 8     16.9"

[DommyDevil18]

Yet I heard on Stargazers Live that it was a good one  

[JulianFR]

If (!) it's clear tonight, and not blowing a gale and raining, I'll definitely take the 300 out to play... I'm pretty desperate to see Mars through it after reading the above comments.

I very naively thought it might show a 'bit' better in a nearly 5" refractor with a 6mm EP. But I recall other comments on SGL that Mars can be tricky or even disappointing sometimes.

[Orange Haze]

Hi Julian, I have made a similar scope change to you, moving from the sw120 to a Dob, albeit mine is the 250. Mars has always been a let down to me so far, never managed to get any detail out of it, which is why I am so keen on seeing it at this next opposition. Can say one thing for sure, every target I have looked at so far thru my 250px has been a step up from what I saw in the frac. I love my frac, but the 250 just blows it away time and again. And it's proven far more portable than I imagined it would be.

Also, slightly gutted to hear Mars was ok this morning, I was up early enough to see it the skies were clear, but my tiredness took me back to bed instead. Doh!

[JulianFR]

Thanks for that Lee... I have only been able to use the 300 twice since I bought it, both times barely long enough to let it cool down properly. But the extra layer of detail was really significant compared with my previous 200 ... And loads more than my short (but loved) refractor. So certainly looking forward to trying to see some Mars detail.

[wheresthetorch?]

Or canals! :-)

[JulianFR]

;-)

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Julian, not had a look at Mars yet, my SE is blocked with houses and garages, might have a little peak tonight if the clouds go away and the wind drops - not seen the "Canali" yet, think Mars is only around 10 arcsecs.  Alot of observers find Mars very frustrating - with its smallish size and overwhelming brightness, but if you ramp up the mag in steady seeing, the surface features begin to "appear".  This apparition though, both Mars and Saturn are well below the ecliptic so we'll have to put up with "shimmering" and "shakey" viewing conditions, think Mars only gets to about 15 arcsecs at opposition this time - so were all going to struggle - looks like getting hubble out of the shed!!!!

Paul.

[John]

I'm afraid you're not quite right there.

In terms of its size, it's one of the worst oppositions! Here's a list of the next few oppositions and its maximum apparent size. The one benefit is that it will reach a reasonable altitude for northern observers. The 2018 opposition will be so far south that it will only be about 12 degrees above the horizon at opposition from the southern UK..

2014 Apr 8     15.1"     

2016 May 22     18.4"     

2018 Jul 27     24.1"     

2020 Oct 13     22.3"

2022 Dec 8     16.9"

This is, alas, true. For really good views of Mars we are going to have to be patient 

While it's easy to identify Mars, seeing details on it is somewhat challenging. It's small apparent diameter and low altitude won't help that.

It's worth observing all the same but don't get discouraged if it's less than spectacular.

By the way, there were two threads running on this subject by the same poster so I've merged them to avoid confusion.

[JulianFR]

Thanks John... Yes, I appear to have posted the original thread twice... NO idea how!

Had a look at Mars through the Dob tonight as it was pretty clear... And all the above comments hold: it was very low so I didn't feel the seeing was good as it was quite 'wobbly'; it was small but very bright, so I couldn't make out any details on the small orangey blob. That was through my 8mm and 6mm. Maybe a filter of some kind would have helped.

I definitely see how it can be a frustrating target, but I still got a buzz just looking at it!

[Northern Soul man]

The last apparition I used a variable polarising filter to quite good effects, I screwed the 2" polarising filter into the front of the star diagonal, then screwed a 1 1/4 into the bottom of the baader zoom, doing it this way - you only have to rotate the EP, this will give you a varying degree of light transmission just by rotating the EP - very effective. Just by rotating the EP slightly gives you a much more "subdued" look at the disk, enabling you to concentrate on the more subtle shadings, I find the polar caps really bright and distinct, just trying to "tease" out the detail is, for me, a battle on its own.

As said above, this apparition is going to be difficult but as she only comes around every 2 years, if your like me, it really doesn't matter how far North of the ecliptic she is, no matter what size scope I'm using, just being able to search the surface of another body in the Solar System in real time really does it for me - just as you said Julian.  

Still after around 25 years of looking skyward and thinking of the first look at Saturn through a 60mm frac and still wanting more.   Paul.

[JulianFR]

Thanks for the polarizing filter tip ... I'll look into that. Any other tips on filters for Mars? I imagine the opposite colours to red would be the choice ... Green and/or blue?

I'm greatly looking forward to catching other planets: Venus, Saturn of course... And will I really be able to see Uranus with my scope?

[Paul73]

Not sure about Mars filters. I bought a light blue 82a one from the classifieds the other day to see if they make any difference. It is supposed to help with separating Jupiter belts and bring out the ice caps on Mars.

Yes, you will get a nice view of Uranus. Tiny light blue disc. No detail, but a really rewarding spot. Better hurry though. It is getting pretty low at this time of year.

Nice scope. The 300 has got the decent base and loads of appature. Enjoy.

Paul