mars - what is this feature?

[ardbeg74]

Hi Guys,

There is a feature near the center of my mars image from 29th and im wondering if this is cloud over the elysium or tharsis volcanoes? It appeared in all my captures on all channels before wavelets were applied and Lensman57 also has a post where you can see the same feature http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/215784-my-first-mars-ever/.

Sorry about the processing on the image, i went a bit crazy with wavelets and PS. ( I think ive been playing too much KSP as its came out more like duna )

Processing aside I'd love to know what this feature is. Any suggestions?

Cheers

Mark

[lensman57]

Hi Guys,

There is a feature near the center of my mars image from 29th and im wondering if this is cloud over the elysium or tharsis volcanoes? It appeared in all my captures on all channels before wavelets were applied and Lensman57 also has a post where you can see the same feature http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/215784-my-first-mars-ever/.

Sorry about the processing on the image, i went a bit crazy with wavelets and PS. ( I think ive been playing too much KSP as its came out more like duna )

Processing aside I'd love to know what this feature is. Any suggestions?

Cheers

Mark

Hi Mark,

I am not a planetary expert but are these not the 3 eyes of Mars? I am curious now.

Regards,

A.G

[ardbeg74]

Hi Mark,

I am not a planetary expert but are these not the 3 eyes of Mars? I am curious now.

Regards,

A.G

Interesting, Ive never heard of 3 eyes of mars before, google is failing me this time though

But yea, there are 3 of them there come to think on it. Perhaps you are right.

Cheers

Mark

[lensman57]

 for this

Interesting, Ive never heard of 3 eyes of mars before, google is failing me this time though

But yea, there are 3 of them there come to think on it. Perhaps you are right.

Cheers

Mark

I think that this is the closest that I can find, I am quite ancient though so perhaps I heard all this when I was a Kid  a lonf time ago.https://www.google.co.uk/#q=martian+features+the+eye

A.G

[ardbeg74]

Hi Lensman,

This is great thanks! So the "eye" is olympus mons. I guess the 3 eyes could either be the other tharsis volcanos or the elysium ones... I never knew these were visible from earth but they are.

http://astronomer.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mars_map1.jpg

I think syrtis major is on the lefthand edge so that would place elysium around where the white blob is on my image. Based on the map above ( its typical,  the thing you want is always at the edge )  there are other features to the right which may be the other blobs on the image.

Even with simulate light speed enabled in stelarium it doesnt match exactly... but im going to put my money on elysium. Fast forwarding through a full rotation, it seems that "tenis ball" appearance only happens once.

What id give for better seeing, more aperture and closer more conveniently placed approaches!

Still, if it is clouds over Elysium Mons, im speechless once again

All the best

Mark

 

[Pete Presland]

i would say the feature is Orographic clouds over Olympus mons. i have never heard of the 3 eyes of Mars.

[lensman57]

Hi Lensman,

This is great thanks! So the "eye" is olympus mons. I guess the 3 eyes could either be the other tharsis volcanos or the elysium ones... I never knew these were visible from earth but they are.

http://astronomer.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mars_map1.jpg

I think syrtis major is on the lefthand edge so that would place elysium around where the white blob is on my image. Based on the map above ( its typical,  the thing you want is always at the edge )  there are other features to the right which may be the other blobs on the image.

Even with simulate light speed enabled in stelarium it doesnt match exactly... but im going to put my money on elysium. Fast forwarding through a full rotation, it seems that "tenis ball" appearance only happens once.

What id give for better seeing, more aperture and closer more conveniently placed approaches!

Still, if it is clouds over Elysium Mons, im speechless once again

All the best

Mark

Thank you Mark,

Very  interesting information, I never bothered to learn anything about Mars as I always thought it to be so inaccessible, I still live in a time machine created by Jules Verne . .

Regards,

A.G