Mars - 1st time this season

[John]

I've just spotted Mars

It's in Gemini and, at the moment, very small indeed (it's disk is just 6.1 arc seconds across) but definately the red planet. At 170x there even a suggestion of a darker marking on the disk but I could not be sure of that as it came and went.

That's a 3 planet night with Jupiter and a quick look at the even tinier Neptune earlier this evening. Could have made it 4 of I'd bothered to find Uranus again

John

[Talitha]

Well done, three out of four is great.

[mike.brightmore]

Uranus is well positioned at the moment and easier to see than Neptune. Beautiful bright Venus is also up by 4.00 a.m. so a 5 planet night is doable.

[skiorh]

I've just spotted Mars

It's in Gemini and, at the moment, very small indeed (it's disk is just 6.1 arc seconds across) but definately the red planet. At 170x there even a suggestion of a darker marking on the disk but I could not be sure of that as it came and went.

That's a 3 planet night with Jupiter and a quick look at the even tinier Neptune earlier this evening. Could have made it 4 of I'd bothered to find Uranus again

John

Hi John,

Could you please tell what kind of detail are you able to see on Mars with your Meade?

I tried it twice a week ago in Yorkshire and Lake District and all I could see was fuzzy disc. I might have been cause poor vis but it was quite disappointing...

On the other hand M31 in LakeDis was breathtaking.

Cheers

[redcardan]

Uranus is well positioned at the moment and easier to see than Neptune. Beautiful bright Venus is also up by 4.00 a.m. so a 5 planet night is doable.

I saw venus at about 5:30am, incredibly bright!

[brianb]

I tried it twice a week ago in Yorkshire and Lake District and all I could see was fuzzy disc. I might have been cause poor vis but it was quite disappointing...

I got a rotten view of Mars last night, the trouble was really bad jet stream smearing (it was hard to focus a star at the zenith with x140) so Mars was just a slightly off round blob with no trace of any surface marking. But previously this month - with Mars a bit lower and fractionally smaller - I've had pretty good views with by CPC1100 with considerable surface detail visible despite the tiny 6 arc sec disc.

[John]

Hi John,

Could you please tell what kind of detail are you able to see on Mars with your Meade?

I tried it twice a week ago in Yorkshire and Lake District and all I could see was fuzzy disc. I might have been cause poor vis but it was quite disappointing...

On the other hand M31 in LakeDis was breathtaking.

Cheers

As I described in my post it was a tiny, salmon pink disk with just the suggestions of vague darker markings that came and went with the seeing. No signs of pole caps etc.

6 arc-seconds is a very small disk for any scope to make much of with the UK seeing conditions - it will have to be much larger to start to become interesting - I'm not sure how large it's going to get this time around ? - perhaps someone knowledgeable will let us know

John

[brianb]

I'm not sure how large it's going to get this time around ?

Only around 14-15 arc secs. But at least at a decent height for those of us who don't live in upside-down land.

[John]

Only around 14-15 arc secs. But at least at a decent height for those of us who don't live in upside-down land.

Thanks Brian

John

[yeti monster]

When might we expect to see Mars at 14-15 arcsecs then??? I caught a glimpse last week but the weather moved in just as soon as I'd trained the scope in (typical? answers on a post card please........).

[brianb]

When might we expect to see Mars at 14-15 arcsecs then???

Best viewing in January & the first half of February - as usual about 3 weeks either side of opposition.

[George Jones]

At 170x there even a suggestion of a darker marking on the disk but I could not be sure of that as it came and went.

I, too, went out for a look this morning, and at 160x and 250x this also was my impression. I hope to check back in in three weeks or so when its apparent diameter will have grown by 10%, and its apparent area will have grown by 20%

At opposition in January, its apparent diameter will be only 56% what it was in 2003. This opposition and the next, we're at a minimum for apparent diameter at opposition . During the July 2018 opposition, apparent diameter will be 96% of the 2003 diameter.

There are tables at

The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery. Appendices. University of Arizona Press..

[yeti monster]

Jolly good. I remember looking at Mars when it was at "it's closest for 18 million years" (or whatever). Aren't planets ace?

[Doc]

Jolly good. I remember looking at Mars when it was at "it's closest for 18 million years" (or whatever). Aren't planets ace?

It was fantastic then, could even see the polar ice caps.

Have yet to see it this year.

[George Jones]

According to the Sky & Telescope Mars profiler

SkyandTelescope.com - Planets - Mars: Which Side Is Visible?

Syrtis Major was pointed towards Earth when I looked at Mars at 5:30 local, 8:30 GMT. I only checked this now, i.e., post observation.