9.05.03 Mars

Hi,

I once again had that "hole" in the atmosphere. My 6" refractor and 10" Dob showed very steady Mars images. I made a sketch through the eq driven refractor rather early on. Then I spent the next 3 hours using the Dob. This apparition has been very rewarding and enjoyable for me. Hype aside, I think its the best I have ever seen Mars.

Thanks, Sol Robbins

Attached Image:

Wow Sol, that's the most details from a sketch through a 6" refractor I've ever seen! Was there some features you couldn't see through the 6-inch but seen with the 10-inch last night?

Ron B[ee]

Hi,

The bright area that precedes Syrtis M. appears about 2x larger here than it does on the actual drawing. Additionally, I draw Mars inside a the 2" black box so here its enlarged. The drawing also appears grainier than the original. I don't really know what to make of this area in terms of what's going on.

I guess what was visually striking this time out was that the sunset limb was quite thick and had a distinct yellow/orange appearance and the sunrise limb was starkly white with/without filter. The brightening preceding Syrtis M. was enhanced and seen only with filtration. The setting used renders Mars as a very lightly tinted red. This 3 peak filter is only letting red, green and blue peaks through. Its that the emphasis is in the red. Lastly, where did the NPH go? I guess its on a different side of the planet

It was a good night in that as it got later, my refractor was showing a good image at 566x. Although there was is big loss of contrast. The 10" was utterly fantastic with its new premium secondary installed and Guan Sheng primary. Its just that right now, I can't get the hang of hand tracking and sketching at the same time.

Thanks, Sol Robbins