Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

Mars Duststorm


Paranoidsam

Recommended Posts

Looking at Mars with the naked eye tonight I found it noticeably more yellow than usual, in fact I wasn't even entirely sure if it was Mars or Saturn until I looked through a telescope at it... Even then, it was very washed out with a sort of milky orange appearance. I could make out absolutely no surface detail whatsoever. The only thing I could see clearly was a slight gibbous phase... 

Not the most visually spectacular observing session, but very interesting all the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been worried about this - in a couple of weeks I will be going to the Canary Islands specifically to have a good look at Mars. And I won't be able to see anything! How can Mars betray me so badly?!?

It's bad enough having to worry about clouds here on Earth without having to worry about clouds on Mars too. ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello fellow Martians, spent all last night ( 27/28 June) observing the planets from a sports ground  in deepest Wyre Forest, where I bagged  Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. I first caught sight of the red planet low down in the south east at 11.52 pm precisely. Yes, I totally concur, the usual vivid orange colouration of Mars as seen with the naked eye was certainly much reduced, currently more like the yellow planet. Through the scope not a lot of detail on view either, only a few indistinct dusky markings and the still obvious south polar cap.  That dust storm is certainly playing havoc, good riddance I say.  Best wishes Chris.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is rather frustrating, Mars is a good size now so the sooner the dust storm settles the better, hopefully well before opposition.  I'll be watching at every opportunity to see if there is any improvement in the transparency on the red planet.

One optimistic note is that Mars is m-2.0 or brighter, and 20 arc seconds or bigger from now  until the end of the first week in September, so there is a good window for observations once the dust settles.

I hope it clears in the next couple of weeks so that you can get the most from your trip to the Canaries Agnes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.