Hi Mike,

tmbMike wrote:
I was reading Greg Crinklaws cool observing essay:
http://www.skyhound.com/sh/Focus/Mars/Hall.html

In there Greg quotes The Telescope Handbook and Star Atlas by Neale E.
Howard as follows:

"Certainly the strangest little objects in the whole solar system, the
two moons of Mars will rarely be seen by the amateur unless he
possesses a 16-inch telescope, and then only at favorable oppositions."


The rest of the essay and the general feel I get from reading
miscellaneous sites is that it's not very common to see these two
little moons.

No, not common. I believe the biggest factor is to have atmospheric
conditions that diminish the scattered light from mars. At the last
opposition there were a few lucky observers who saw at least one moon in
6-inch and even 4-inch scopes.

Oh, and congrats!

Clear skies,
Greg

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
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