What's with the blue ?

Hello friends,

Hope everybody had a great and rewarding time observing Mars over the past couple of days.

Quick question for the "multi-apparition" observers: Can the blue tint seen on my attached photo be fog (North Pole)? I know some people are going to jump out and say its atmospheric dispersion. I was under the same impression until I saw a Hubble image from Mars on the front page of the Miami Herald and it had the same blue tint.

Any ideas?

Best Regards,

Angel

Attached Image:

Angel:

I've wondered the same thing... even more I've wondered why I _don't_ have it! Even though I balance colors to get the southern polar cap white, the limb haze appears white in my pictures. But then it also appears white to my eyes through the eyepiece... I wonder if it has something to do with the optics I'm using; for instance, the TeleVue 2x barlow?

Fabulous picture, by the way!

Bruce.

Hello there Angel,

Very nice picture!

I was out last night around 05:00-06:00UT having Mars party with my wife and kids and have both my 4" TV-102 and my 8" Discovery Dob out. I had forgotten about my Baader Moon and Skyglow filter I bought for Mars in at the end of the 2001 apparition. I used it the first time last night and viola my wife notice the large blue "cloud" in and around the NPH (this was her first look at Mars this year). I quickly scrutinized it and indeed it was a beautiful light hazy blue color. The #80A and my new #38A brought it out as well but not as intense as the Baader filter. Though I've been seeing the blue NPH before opposition, last night was quite intense and large. Here are two links I found showing the blue whatever as well.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/~cmomk/2003/030827/DPk27Aug03.jpg
http://homepage3.nifty.com/~cmomk/2003/030829/CSr29Aug03.jpg

Ron B[ee]