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Mars 09-08-03
Viewing from Stafford at around 11.30pm-12.30am. Mars was about 20-25
degrees of elevation (I'm guessing here), seeing was - interesting. It looked as though the disk was boiling. Through the occassional steady patches I could see the southern polar cap quite distictly and some darker surface markings although nothing in any detail. Magnifications used were x48 to obtain the planet, then ramping up to x240 using a barlowed 10mm e/p. This gave surprisingly good results despite being higher than I would normally recommend, and you *do* have to wait for little patches of clear air that last for a second or so. Can anyone confirm that Mrs had its 'less interesting' side pointing at us last night? Or was it the good side and I've yet to learn patience :-) This is the first attempt I've had at Mars since buying my 'scope almost two years ago. It's an Orion Optics Europa 250 with a GEM mount and I think I'm going to have to grit my teeth and save up for an EQ6. The GEM just seems - clunky somehow. Sometimes the 'scope position prevents you from engaging one of the locking levers. Ho hum. I'd also like to take this oportunity of thanking the man whose name I've forgotten but who is in charge of replacing the street lights in the Stafford area. He has stated that they want to start using more energy efficient lights and to use techniques that make sure the light goes down instead of up because, and I quote, "people want to be able to see the stars". Sir, I've forgotten your name but you have my vote should you ever run for local office. Please forgive this rambling and somewhat poor observing report. Jim -- AIM/iChat:JCAndrew2 - now with iSight! "We deal in the moral equivalent of black holes, where the normal laws of right and wrong break down; beyond those metaphysical event horizons there exist ... special circumstances" - Use Of Weapons |
#3
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Mars 09-08-03
On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 07:51:47 +0100, (Jim)
wrote: Viewing from Stafford at around 11.30pm-12.30am. Mars was about 20-25 degrees of elevation (I'm guessing here), seeing was - interesting. It looked as though the disk was boiling. Through the occassional steady patches I could see the southern polar cap quite distictly and some darker surface markings although nothing in any detail. Magnifications used were x48 to obtain the planet, then ramping up to x240 using a barlowed 10mm e/p. This gave surprisingly good results despite being higher than I would normally recommend, and you *do* have to wait for little patches of clear air that last for a second or so. Can anyone confirm that Mrs had its 'less interesting' side pointing at us last night? Or was it the good side and I've yet to learn patience :-) This is the first attempt I've had at Mars since buying my 'scope almost two years ago. It's an Orion Optics Europa 250 with a GEM mount and I think I'm going to have to grit my teeth and save up for an EQ6. The GEM just seems - clunky somehow. Sometimes the 'scope position prevents you from engaging one of the locking levers. Ho hum. I'd also like to take this oportunity of thanking the man whose name I've forgotten but who is in charge of replacing the street lights in the Stafford area. He has stated that they want to start using more energy efficient lights and to use techniques that make sure the light goes down instead of up because, and I quote, "people want to be able to see the stars". Sir, I've forgotten your name but you have my vote should you ever run for local office. Please forgive this rambling and somewhat poor observing report. Jim Did it look something like this? http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/090803mars06.jpg I couldn't get any sort of decent image that night, there was a lot of mist which, although it helped stabilise the image, seemed to rob it of all detail. Refraction seemed to be a bigger problem than last week too (maybe particulates add to it?). Add to that a Dew From Hell, an incessant cloud of midges that tried to nest in your ears (plus I missed the only bright meteor of the night) and I can say I'm really looking forward to frosty nights again. About all I can say is that the S polar cap seems to have shrunk from the previous week. ChrisH UK Astro Ads: http://www.UKAstroAds.co.uk |
#4
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Mars 09-08-03
ChrisH wrote:
Did it look something like this? http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/090803mars06.jpg That's it! Well, mostly. I couldn't get any sort of decent image that night, there was a lot of mist which, although it helped stabilise the image, seemed to rob it of all detail. Refraction seemed to be a bigger problem than last week too (maybe particulates add to it?). Add to that a Dew From Hell, an incessant cloud of midges that tried to nest in your ears (plus I missed the only bright meteor of the night) and I can say I'm really looking forward to frosty nights again. Yeah, me too. Need to save for a new mount first though :-( Jim -- AIM/iChat:JCAndrew2 - now with iSight! "We deal in the moral equivalent of black holes, where the normal laws of right and wrong break down; beyond those metaphysical event horizons there exist ... special circumstances" - Use Of Weapons |
#5
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Mars 09-08-03
ChrisH wrote:
Did it look something like this? http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/090803mars06.jpg That's it! Well, mostly. I couldn't get any sort of decent image that night, there was a lot of mist which, although it helped stabilise the image, seemed to rob it of all detail. Refraction seemed to be a bigger problem than last week too (maybe particulates add to it?). Add to that a Dew From Hell, an incessant cloud of midges that tried to nest in your ears (plus I missed the only bright meteor of the night) and I can say I'm really looking forward to frosty nights again. Yeah, me too. Need to save for a new mount first though :-( Jim -- AIM/iChat:JCAndrew2 - now with iSight! "We deal in the moral equivalent of black holes, where the normal laws of right and wrong break down; beyond those metaphysical event horizons there exist ... special circumstances" - Use Of Weapons |
#6
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Mars 09-08-03
Mike Dworetsky wrote:
Yes, at that time of night Syrtis Major was still well around on the night side of Mars. You should be able to see it from the UK in about another week or so. MR BURNS Excellent. /MR BURNS Thank you. Jim -- AIM/iChat:JCAndrew2 "We deal in the moral equivalent of black holes, where the normal laws of right and wrong break down; beyond those metaphysical event horizons there exist ... special circumstances" - Use Of Weapons |
#7
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Mars 09-08-03
Mike Dworetsky wrote:
Yes, at that time of night Syrtis Major was still well around on the night side of Mars. You should be able to see it from the UK in about another week or so. MR BURNS Excellent. /MR BURNS Thank you. Jim -- AIM/iChat:JCAndrew2 "We deal in the moral equivalent of black holes, where the normal laws of right and wrong break down; beyond those metaphysical event horizons there exist ... special circumstances" - Use Of Weapons |
#8
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Mars 09-08-03
"ChrisH" wrote in message ... On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 07:51:47 +0100, (Jim) wrote: Viewing from Stafford at around 11.30pm-12.30am. Mars was about 20-25 degrees of elevation (I'm guessing here), seeing was - interesting. It looked as though the disk was boiling. Through the occassional steady patches I could see the southern polar cap quite distictly and some darker surface markings although nothing in any detail. Magnifications used were x48 to obtain the planet, then ramping up to x240 using a barlowed 10mm e/p. This gave surprisingly good results despite being higher than I would normally recommend, and you *do* have to wait for little patches of clear air that last for a second or so. Can anyone confirm that Mrs had its 'less interesting' side pointing at us last night? Or was it the good side and I've yet to learn patience :-) This is the first attempt I've had at Mars since buying my 'scope almost two years ago. It's an Orion Optics Europa 250 with a GEM mount and I think I'm going to have to grit my teeth and save up for an EQ6. The GEM just seems - clunky somehow. Sometimes the 'scope position prevents you from engaging one of the locking levers. Ho hum. I'd also like to take this oportunity of thanking the man whose name I've forgotten but who is in charge of replacing the street lights in the Stafford area. He has stated that they want to start using more energy efficient lights and to use techniques that make sure the light goes down instead of up because, and I quote, "people want to be able to see the stars". Sir, I've forgotten your name but you have my vote should you ever run for local office. Please forgive this rambling and somewhat poor observing report. Jim Did it look something like this? http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/090803mars06.jpg I couldn't get any sort of decent image that night, there was a lot of mist which, although it helped stabilise the image, seemed to rob it of all detail. Refraction seemed to be a bigger problem than last week too (maybe particulates add to it?). Add to that a Dew From Hell, an incessant cloud of midges that tried to nest in your ears (plus I missed the only bright meteor of the night) and I can say I'm really looking forward to frosty nights again. About all I can say is that the S polar cap seems to have shrunk from the previous week. Here is one I took from a couple of nights before. Like you, I found the seeing was quite a bit steadier compared with my previous attempts but with mist affecting the sharpness http://www.leadbeaterhome.fsnet.co.u...o_image_45.htm BTW I find this little program useful for aligning those refracted colours. It is a bit finicky about image size sometimes though http://home.online.no/~arnholm/astro...AstroAlign.htm Clear, steady skies, Robin -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Robin Leadbeater N54.75 W3.24 www.leadbeaterhome.fsnet.co.uk/astro.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
#9
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Mars 09-08-03
"ChrisH" wrote in message ... On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 07:51:47 +0100, (Jim) wrote: Viewing from Stafford at around 11.30pm-12.30am. Mars was about 20-25 degrees of elevation (I'm guessing here), seeing was - interesting. It looked as though the disk was boiling. Through the occassional steady patches I could see the southern polar cap quite distictly and some darker surface markings although nothing in any detail. Magnifications used were x48 to obtain the planet, then ramping up to x240 using a barlowed 10mm e/p. This gave surprisingly good results despite being higher than I would normally recommend, and you *do* have to wait for little patches of clear air that last for a second or so. Can anyone confirm that Mrs had its 'less interesting' side pointing at us last night? Or was it the good side and I've yet to learn patience :-) This is the first attempt I've had at Mars since buying my 'scope almost two years ago. It's an Orion Optics Europa 250 with a GEM mount and I think I'm going to have to grit my teeth and save up for an EQ6. The GEM just seems - clunky somehow. Sometimes the 'scope position prevents you from engaging one of the locking levers. Ho hum. I'd also like to take this oportunity of thanking the man whose name I've forgotten but who is in charge of replacing the street lights in the Stafford area. He has stated that they want to start using more energy efficient lights and to use techniques that make sure the light goes down instead of up because, and I quote, "people want to be able to see the stars". Sir, I've forgotten your name but you have my vote should you ever run for local office. Please forgive this rambling and somewhat poor observing report. Jim Did it look something like this? http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/090803mars06.jpg I couldn't get any sort of decent image that night, there was a lot of mist which, although it helped stabilise the image, seemed to rob it of all detail. Refraction seemed to be a bigger problem than last week too (maybe particulates add to it?). Add to that a Dew From Hell, an incessant cloud of midges that tried to nest in your ears (plus I missed the only bright meteor of the night) and I can say I'm really looking forward to frosty nights again. About all I can say is that the S polar cap seems to have shrunk from the previous week. Here is one I took from a couple of nights before. Like you, I found the seeing was quite a bit steadier compared with my previous attempts but with mist affecting the sharpness http://www.leadbeaterhome.fsnet.co.u...o_image_45.htm BTW I find this little program useful for aligning those refracted colours. It is a bit finicky about image size sometimes though http://home.online.no/~arnholm/astro...AstroAlign.htm Clear, steady skies, Robin -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Robin Leadbeater N54.75 W3.24 www.leadbeaterhome.fsnet.co.uk/astro.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
#10
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Mars 09-08-03
Around the same time, from the Poole area, I saw a very bright meteor pass
very close to Mars. Did anyone else witness this ? This definitely impressed the friends I was 'showing' Mars to at the time. AG |
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