Mars 21 May

[DarkerSky]

Surprising amount of detail coming off Mars again last night. The disc is now 6.4 arc seconds - very small. But a combination of good seeing and some of the more distinct martian features facing Earth meant it was bonanza time in my 16".

16" x295 magnification

Unfiltered

Seeing: II

21.30 - 22.00 UT

CM approx 53 degrees

Mare Acidalium, which is the main shaded area across the central and lower part of the disc, was the most obvious feature. In moments of really steady seeing the shape and protrusions became obvious, as did the intensity differences noted.

The next most obvious feature was Mare Erythreum crossing the south limb (top) of the disc. This was very noticeable close to the phase terminator - less so on the other side (East) of the disc. A protrusion in the SE quadrant almost seemed to connect Mare Erythreum and Mare Acidalium together.

Tharsis was quite noticeable as a non-shaded area in the upper central area of the disc. Of the brighter areas it was the large brightening in the North West near the terminator that really caught my eye. It had a tinge of blue to it I thought. There was also a small bright area on the South East limb.

The NPC was dull and small. Much duller than the other two brightenings, but on a par with the intensity of Tharsis.