Posts Made By: Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Jupiter on May 8, 2003 (03:00 U.T.). I noted much detail across the disk, especially over the South Tropical Zone (STrZ) and Equatorial Zone (EZ). I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): May 8, 2003
Time (U.T.): 03:00
L1 271.9, L2 279.7, L3 126.6
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x, 295x, 352x
Integrated light (IL)
Seeing (1-10): 5-6 (moments of 7), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 4-5

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dusky (4/10) with no other detail noted within.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears shaded (6/10) and thin.
South South Temperate Belt (SSTB): Appears dull (5/10) and thin.
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears bright (7/10) and broad.
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with two dark (3/10) projections noted along it's northern border extending into the South Tropical Zone (STrZ).
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) with a dark (3/10) condensation within it which appears connected to a dull (5/10), thin band.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark (3/10) and separated by a bright (7/10) and thin SEB zone (SEBZ).
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with a diffuse dusky to dull (4-5/10) band (EZB). A dark (3/10) condensation appears over the preceding EZ within the EZB.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark (3/10) with very dark (2/10) blue festoons noted along it's southern border and very dark (2/10) barges along it's northern border.
North Temperate Zone (NTZ): Appears bright (7/10) without the presence of the North Temperate Belt (NTB).
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dull to dusky (4-5/10), but without any detail visible within.

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I have made an observation of Mars on May 8, 2003 (08:15 U.T.) under average seeing conditions (5-6/10, with moments of 7/10). I noted much detail over the Mare Erythraeum region as described below. Dust over the Argyre region was not noted at this time as recently reported as possibly being observed by some observers. Agathodaemon/Tithonius Lacus (the central portion of the great Valles Marineris) was prominently noted towards the following limb adjacent to an extremely bright morning limb haze (MLH). I welcome any comments on my Mars observation.

Date (U.T.): May 8, 2003
Time (U.T.): 08:15
CM: 055.8
Ls: 181.4, De: -17.2, Ds: -0.6
Diameter: 10.0 arc-seconds
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x and 365x
Filter (Wratten): 30 (Magenta)
Seeing (1-10): 5-6 (moments of 7/10), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 4

Notes:
South Polar Hood (SPH): Appears extremely bright (10/10) over the southern limb.
Sinus Meridiani: It's following (western) border appears adjacent to the evening (preceding) limb enshrouded by an extremely bright (9/10) evening limb haze (ELH).
Margaritifer Sinus: Appears dark (3/10) and triangular-shaped towards the p. limb.
Mare Erythraeum: Appears dark (3/10) with lighter (shaded, 6/10) regions consisting of Pyrrhae Regio and Protei Regio (preceding to following). A dark (3/10) bar (Arsinoes Depressio?) appears to divide Pyrrhae Regio and Protei Regio. Eos appears shaded to bright (6-7/10) north of Pyrrhae Regio.
Mare Australe: Appears dark (3/10) and uniform north of the SPH.
Aurorae Sinus: Appears dark (3/10) with a dark (3/10) projection from it's following end (possibly the southern portion of an obscured Ganges?).
Bosporos Gemmatus: Appears dark (3/10) and extends south between Aurorae Sinus and the SPH.
Agathodaemon (Coprates)/Tithonius Lacus: Appears dark (3/10) as a projection from the following border of Aurorae Sinus. This represents the central portion of the great Valles Marineris.
Chryse-Xanthe: Appears bright (7/10) without any detail visible within.
Niliacus Lacus: Appears as a dark (3/10) wedge towards the northern limb which connects to a dusky to dull (4-5/10) Nilokeras adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) morning (following) limb haze (MLH).
North Polar Haze (NPH): Appears extremely bright (9/10) over the northern limb.

The best of luck in your own observations/images of the red planet.

Carlos E. Hernandez

P.S. Please compare my observation to Angel Gomez's excellent images of Mars obtained one hour and 40 minutes after mine.

I made an observation of Mars this morning. I noted a good amount of detail over the Solis Lacus region as well as interesting cloud phenomena. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): June 11, 2003
Time (U.T.): 07:40
CM: 079.6
Ls: 201.0, De -20.4, Ds -08.6, K 0.876
Diameter (arc-seconds): 13.65
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 282x, 384x, and 442x
Filters (Wratten): 30 (magenta)
Seeing (1-10): 5-6, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 4-5

Notes:
The South Polar Cap (SPC) appears brilliant (10/10) over the southern limb. Mare Australe appears as a dark (3/10) collar along the southern border of the SPC. Mare Erythraeum (3-4/10) appears obscured by a very bright (8/10) haze. An extremely bright (9/10) terminator projection appears over the Argyre region (haze with possible dust?). Aurorae Sinus appears dark (3/10) with a dark to dull (3-5/10) Agathodaemon (Coprates) extending from it's following border (Tithonius Lacus appears to be obscured by an extremely bright (9/10) haze). Bosporos Gemmatus appears dark (3/10) extending between Aurorae Sinus and Aonius Sinus (3/10). Solis Lacus appears dark (3/10) and elongated in a NE-SW direction and connected to Mare Erythraeum by a shaded (4/10) Nectar. Two projections are noted over the southern border of Solis Lacus, namely Ambrosia (5/10) followed a thicker Bathys (4/10). Thaumasia, Claritas, Syria, and Sinai appear bright (7/10) surrounding Solis Lacus. Phasis appears shaded (4/10) projecting from the northern border of Aonius Sinus. A very bright to extremely bright (8-9/10) appears between Chryse-Xanthe and Tharsis. The western (following) border of Mare Acidalium (3/10) and Niliacus (4/10) are visible beneath haze. Tempe and Arcadia appear bright (7/10). An extremely bright (9/10) haze appears over the morning (following) and northern limbs.

The best of luck on your own observations.

Carlos

I made an observation of Mars on June 26, 2003 (07:10 U.T.) in which
much detail was noted over the regions between Mare Tyrrhenum and
Sabaeus Sinus (East-West, or preceding-following) and Neith Regio-Meroe
Insula and Mare Australe (North-South). During brief moments of steady
seeing the albedo features (e.g. Syrtis Major, Mare Tyrrhenum, and
Iapygia Viridis) appeared to exhibit a "mottled-appearance" similar to
that described by the great Mars observer Eugene Michael Antoniadi
during the great (perihelic) opposition of 1909. I have not noted so
much detail over Mars in some time. I, along with everyone else, am
anxiously awaiting the planet to grow larger in apparent size. Let us
hope that a global dust storm does not develop and obscure the surface.

Date (U.T.): June 26, 2003
Time (U.T.): 07:10
CM: 289.1
Ls 210.2 (Mid-Northern Autumn)
De -20.7, Ds -12.2, k 0.89
Diameter: 15.9 arc-seconds
9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x and 323x
Filters: Wratten 23A, 30, 38, and 64
Seeing (1-10): 5-6, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 2-3 (Hazy)

Notes:
The South Polar Cap (SPC) was prominent (10/10) over the southern limb.
A shaded (4/10), central albedo marking was noted. Rifts were noted
along the SPC border with one located at approximately 320-330 degrees
W appearing to connect with the SPC central albedo feature. Mare
Australe appeared to form a dark (3/10) collar along the northern
border of the SPC. Mare Tyrrhenum appeared dark (3/10) towards the
south-following limb. Mare Hadriacum (eastern border of Hellas)
appeared dark (3/10) and separated from Mare Tyrrhenum by a bright
(7/10) Ausonia. Syrtis Major appeared dark (3/10) and prominent on the
CM (intricate detail was noted within it during moments of steady
seeing). Nilosyrtis-Protonilus was noted as a shaded (4/10), thin
albedo feature towards the northern limb (9/10). A bright (7/10) rift
was noted to extend between Libya (7-8/10) and Iapygia Viridis (3/10)
over Crocea. A very bright (8/10) cloud was noted over
Aethipois-Aehteria and encroaching upon Libya. Hellas appeared bright
(7/10) with Zea Lacus noted at it's center and Peneus bisecting it
east-west. Deltoton Sinus appeared dark (3/10). Hellespontus, Noachis,
and Pandorae Fretum appeared dark to shaded (3-4/10) towards the
south-following limb. The eastern portion of Sabaeus Sinus appeared
dark (3/10) and curvilinear. towards the following limb. An extremely
bright (9/10) morning (following) limb haze was noted as well.

The best of luck in your own observations and imaging of Mars.

Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Mars this morning showing the dust storm
extending across the martian southern hemisphere between Phaethontis to
Ausonia. The storm was especially prominent between Electris (on the
CM) and Ausonia. Very bright (8/10) streaks were noted towards the
northern limb over Scandia and Panchaia which could represent dust
events as well. I welcome any comments on this observation.

Date (U.T.): July 7, 2003
Time (U.T.): 05:45
CM: 164.7
Ls 216.8 (Mid-Northern Autumn)
De -20.6, Ds -14.5. k (phase): 0.908
Diameter: 17.7 arc-seconds
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x, 344x, and 443x
Filters (Wratten): 23A, 30, 38, and 64
Seeing (1-10): 5-6 (moments of 7-8), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 2-3 (hazy)

Notes:
The South Polar Cap (SPC) appeared brilliant (10/10) with a dusky to
dull (4-5/10) central core. A dark (3/10) rift (Magnes?) was visible at
approximately 180-190 West longitude. A dark (3/10) collar was noted to
surround the SPC. The regional dust storm was noted to extend between
Phaethontis (preceding or evening limb) and Ausonia (on the following
or morning limb). It was noted to be more prominent using Wratten 23A
(light red), 30 (magenta), and 64 (blue-green) filters. Thyle I and II
appeared to be obscured as well. The northern half of Mare Cimmerium
and Mare Sirenum appeared dark (3/10). A very bright (8/10) cloud
(possibly with dust) was noted over Symplegades Insulae. Zephyria and
Aeolis appeared bright (7/10) with a dull (5/10) streak (Tartarus?)
noted across the region. A very bright (8/10) cloud was noted over
Memnonia appearing to connect to an extremely bright (9/10) orographic
cloud (Arsia Mons?) adjacent to the preceding limb. Trivium Charontis
was weakly visible (4/10) connected to a dark (3/10) Phlegra and
separated from the Propontis complex (3-4/10) by a very bright (8/10)
streak (dust?). Another smaller streak (8/10) was noted east
(preceding) the Propontis complex. Extremely bright (9/10) evening
(preceding), northern, and morning (following) limb hazes were noted as
well.

The best of luck on your own observations and imaging of Mars.

Respectfully,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I have made an observation of Mars this morning under average to good seeing conditions (5-8/10). The dust storm at this time was localized over Electris-Eridania with a thin segment visible along the southern border of Mare Sirenum. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): July 11, 2003
Time (U.T.): 06:30
CM: 138.1
Ls 219.3 (Northern Mid-Autumn)
De -20.5. Ds -15.4, k 0.92
Diameter: 18.4 arc-seconds
9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x, 282x, and 362x
Filters (Wratten): 23A, 30, 38, and 64
Seeing (1-10): 5-6 (moments of 7-8), Antoniadi (I-V): III (moments of II)
Transparency (1-6): 2-3 (Hazy)

Notes:
The South Polar Cap (SPC) appeared brilliant (10/10) with a thin, dark (3/10) core and a rift noted over it's following half. The SPC appeared to be surrounded by a dark (3/10) collar (Mare Australe). Mare Sirenum appeared prominent (3/10) over the CM with thin, dark (3/10) projections noted to extend from it's northern border connecting to a dusky (4/10), thin albedo feature parallel to it. A thin, very bright (8/10) segment of the dust storm was visible along the southern border of Mare Sirenum. Phaethontis-Electris appeared dull to shaded (5-6/10). Aonius Sinus-Phasis appeared as a thin, dusky (4/10) wedge between the eastern (preceding) end of Mare Sirenum and a dusky (4/10) Solis Lacus. Lunae Lacus appeared as a dusky (4/10) condensation along the border of an extremely bright (9/10) evening (preceding) limb haze.The dust storm was visible over the south-following limb over Electris-Eridania (at this time enhanced by haze as it has been reported to have weakened significantly). The eastern (preceding) portion of Mare Cimmerium was visible along the following limb adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) morning (following) limb haze. Tharsis, Memnonia, Amazonis, and Arcadia appeared bright (7/10). The Propontis complex and Phlegra appeared dusky (4/10) adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) northern limb haze. Trivium Charontis appeared as a small, dark (3/10) condensation adjacent to a very to extremely bright (8-9/10) Elysium with an apparent haze over it.

The best of luck in your own observations and imaging of Mars.

Respectfully,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I made a series of Mars observations on this date using different instruments. The observations were made at a friend's observatory (Michael Palermiti, a noted optical designer and imager in Jupiter, Florida) using his 5.1" F/8 Off-Axis Parabolic reflector (a unique design which produces images equivalent to a high quality Apo refractor) and Intes Micro Alter M703 7" F/10 Maksutov-Cassegrain (first-rate optics) as well as my own custom 9" F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain (built for me by Michael Palermiti). The seeing started as average (5-6/10) then later improved to good (7-8/10), fortunately while using the 9" F/13.5 Maksuov-Cassegrain. The following are my notes on the observations.

Left image:
Date (U.T.): July 16, 2003
Time (U.T.): 02:00
CM: 025.7
Ls 222.4, De -20.4, Ds -16.4, k 0.925, 19.34"
Instrument: 5.1" F/8 Off-Axis Parabolic Reflector
Magnification: 130x
Filter: None
Seeing (1-10): 5-6, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 3 (Intermittent clouds)

Notes:
The South Polar Cap (SPC) appeared brilliant (10/10), but no detail visible within. Mare Australe appeared as a dark (3/10) collar surrounding the SPC. Margaritifer Sinus appeared dark (3/10) towards the preceding (evening) limb adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) evening limb haze (ELH). Mare Erythraeum appeared dark to dusky (3-4/10) with a dull to shaded (5-6/10) core (Protei Regio/Pyrrhae Regio?). Aurorae Sinus appeared dark (3/10) following the CM whereas a dusky (4/10) projection was noted along the northern border of Mare Erythraeum preceding it. Agathodaemon (Coprates) appeared as a thin, dark (3/10) projection from the NW corner of Mare Erythraeum. Bosporos Gemmatus appeared dark (3/10) with a thin, dusky (4/10) Nectar noted to project from it's following border connected a dark (3/10) Solis Lacus. Chryse-Xanthe appeared bright (7/10) without any detail visible within. Niliacus Lacus appears as a dark (3/10) wedge adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) northern limb haze (NLH) connected a dusky (4/10) Nilokeras. An extremely bright (9/10) morning (following) limb haze is noted as well.

Continued

I must apologize as the times (and therefore central meridians) of my first two observations of Mars made on July 16, 2003 are incorrect. The time for the first observation (5.1" F/8 OAR) should have been 04:00 U.T. (CM=55.0*W) and the second (7" F/10 Mak-Cass) at 04:30 U.T. (CM=63.1*W). The clock that I referred to suffered a power outage and was thrown off. I should have caught it, but I guess I was tired.

The best of luck in your own observations and imaging.

Carlos

I made an observation of Mars this morning using a new filter designed by Sirius Optics that I am testing. It is appropriately called the Mars Filter. Much detail was noted across the martian disk that is difficult to describe. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): July 27, 2003
Time (U.T.): 05:00
CM 328.3
Ls 229.3, De -19.8, Ds -18.5, k 0.95, 21.42"
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov- Cassegrain
Magnification: 257x and 386x
Filter: Sirius Optics Mars Filter
Seeing (1-10): 5-6 (moments of 7-8), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 5

Notes:
The South Polar Cap (SPC) was brilliant (10/10) with a dark to dusky (3-4/10) streak and a dark (3/10), thin rift over it's preceding half. The SPC border appeared irregular and Argenteus Mons (10/10) was noted towards the following limb. Sabaeus Sinus (3/10) was noted on the CM and Meridiani Sinus (3/10) towards the following limb. Edom was prominent (8/10) along the northern border of Sabaeus Sinus and following Meridiani Sinus. Syrtis Major (3/10), Mare Hadriacum (3/10), and Mare Tyrrhenum (3/10) were noted towards the following limb. An extremely bright (9/10) and thin evening (preceding) limb haze was noted. Libya appeared very to extremely bright (8-9/10) along the preceding limb. Hellas appeared shaded to bright (6-7/10) with it's western (preceding) border appearing very bright (8/10, possibly containing some dust) and the southern portion of Alpheus (4-5/10) noted as well. Iapygia Viridis (3/10) and Mare Serpentis (3/10) were noted on and just following the CM. Hellespontus (3/10) and Yaonis Fretum (3/10) were noted preceding and following the CM, respectively, with Yaonis Regio (7/10) bisecting the two. Deucalionis Regio and Noachis appeared bright (7/10). Aeria, Arabia, Moab, and Eden were bright (7/10). Hammonis Cornu appeared very bright (8/10). Ismenius Lacus (southern border) was noted adjacent to the extremely bright (9/10) northern limb haze. Margaritifer Sinus appeared as a dark (3/10) spike adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) morning (following) limb haze. Mare Erythraeum appeared dusky to dull (4-5/10) with portions obscured by haze.

The best of luck in your future Mars imaging and observations.

Carlos E. Hernandez

Rolando,

An excellent image of Saturn showing some detail over the globe as well as the rings. I look forward to your future images of Saturn and the other planets.

The 12.5" f/6 Cave Newtonian must be an experience to use. The quality of Cave mirrors are legendary (most produced by the great optician and planetary observer Alika Herring).

Carlos