Hooray - my first good look at Mars

[ian_d]

Despite some pretty misty skies, I got my first positive observations of surface features on Mars tonight. Very happy!

I was using my 4" Startravel-102 scope with a 7mm ortho eyepiece plus a x2 Barlow (giving 142x magnification). I also have a Baader fringe killer filter, which works wonders with this scope (makes the colour go a bit yellow, but removes the "purple haze" and also gives a much clearer focus).

Even a fairly cursory glance revealed the north polar cap pretty clearly. Over the course of about 30 mins observing I got a few good glimpses of further detail - a prominent dark patch adjoining the north polar cap, plus a fainter band of dark across the S hemisphere. Having just looked at Stellarium, plus an albedo map of the surface, I reckon these features were Mare Acidalium in the north, and Mare Erythreum and Sinus Sebeus in the south. I made a very crappy sketch at the eyepiece to help id the features now I'm inside!

Very pleased to have seen Mars properly - it's notoriously hard to observe, so very happy to have been able to take advantage of this opposition.

Ian

[DarkerSky]

Good stuff Ian. Always a thrill to get some detail on Mars, no matter how many times you look at it. Mare Acidalium is certainly a feature in the north right now.

I've got a break in the clouds at the mo. Have set up my 8.5" and waiting for it to cool a bit. Hoping to get some good results tonight with Mars if the cloud stays broken for long enough..!

[John]

Thats a really good result - congratulations !.

Seeing features other than the pole cap has been a real challenge in apertures larger than your scope so well done. As you note, the best detail only comes in short glimpses so keeping at it is the key to seeing the details.

I'll bet you are looking forward to Saturn now !.

[DarkerSky]

Seeing features other than the pole cap has been a real challenge in apertures larger than your scope so well done. As you note, the best detail only comes in short glimpses so keeping at it is the key to seeing the details.

John - if you could see Mars tonight you'd be blown away - I promise you.!!

Just been out for an hour and a half. Seeing is 1-2. Really good In my 8.5" I have probably had the best view of Mars all apparition.

NPC is not the only striking feature tonight. Mare Acidalium in the north is in fact darker than the NPC hood for me, curving up and away from the white ice in the north. There is then a fine gap to the south, before a sweeping fainter band - presume this is Arcadia? - seems to cap Mare Acidalium. It curves across the face of the disk, both ends swinging southwards, with darker patches within the band. Towards the following limb it faintly swings up around Tharsis region

Right in the south Sinus Meridani, Aurorae Sinus and the Mare Erythraeum are all very obvious. Solis Lacus was fainly detected too - as was the SPC - very very small and seemingly skewed in direciton towards the preceeding limb relative to the NPC

I took time to sketch it all. Will put that up in a thread when I have digitzed it

Really fantastic stuff - in spite of layers of thin high cloud - and all in my 20 yr old 8.5" reflector...not bad going..!!

[themos]

This is roughly what I could see tonight, definitely the best session on Mars yet. We were out tonight with members of the Abingdon Astronomical Society. I was using my 12" Dobsonian with the 3.2mm TMB planetary eyepiece at 480x power. Simulated image from calsky.com.

I could see the South polar cap (as well as the more prominent North one at the bottom of the image). What was very pleasing was to make out that dark spot on the left that looks like the Sea of Crisis on the Moon.

I think lots of people will be saying they enjoyed Mars tonight!

[lynnm]

indeed i had the oppurtinity to get about an hours viewing of mars last night, and had some good views of the polar caps and shading - using the mead 12.5 and the 2x barlow gave me the best views.

I need to colimate i think after moving the scope in and out quite a few times has put it out.

again i made some ( very basic drawings ) to add to my collection for this year.. even my son (8y) enjoyed the view and was gobsmacked when i turned it to the moon..

an ejoyable evening - but then got a bit to frosty for me... brrrr

[Phil Fargaze]

Last night Mars was exceptional for me too. There was some thin cloud but the seeing I put down as 2. I managed to use my 5mm ortho eyepiece with a 2x barlow to give me 480x and I was still getting detail on the planet! Absolutely outrageous! Mind you trying to keep it in the fov of the dob was nigh on impossible so I enjoyed the view at a more leisurely 179x.