2005 Mars Observations

OK, I'm no artist (except maybe Picasso in his Cubist period <g>), but here's a sample sketch!

~21 June:  My first Mars observing session of the season.  Using Frankenscope and Meade 14 UWA (131X), since nothing stronger was feasible.  Saw pronounced phase, South Polar Cap (SPC) quite distinct, and Syrtis Major apparent in the center.  Size of disc is 8.9 arc seconds

 

28 June: second observing session, much like the first in terms of observable detail.

 

23 July: fans not working on Natasha (ground board problem), and still awaiting parts for Clement focuser, so limited to coarse focus.  Also miss having a Dob Driver for tracking.  Still, was able to see a fair amount of detail at 300X, especially Mare Sirenum and Mare Cimmerium.

 

27 July:  Image was a bit soft at 300X, so used the Meade 14UWA at 131X instead. Mare Sirenum and Mare Chromium were the most prominent features.  Mars now 11 arc seconds in diameter.

 

1 August: Newly repaired Clement focuser works very well.  Did "snap shot" with five minute sketch, but lack of pre-cooling meant mirror was warm enough for temperature differential to matter.  Image was borderline at 300X.  Protei Regio, Mare Chronium, Mare Sirenum, and Solis Lacus were the most prominent dark features.

 

2 Aug: Natasha performing very well, and experimented with the Sirus Variable Optics filter system and ability to use it without a Barlow for the first time with Mars.  Discovered that I've had my Nagler 3-6mm zoom set at 450X for the last few observing sessions-- no wonder the planet was looking soft at "300X"!!!  Features observed were virtually identical to the previous day's.  Finder scope (80mm Tuthill) is now well enough aligned that I can center the crosshairs and drop the Nagler zoom in with confidence that Mars will be in the .1 degree FOV of the 6mm setting.

 

3 Aug. I've been sketching Mars all week at 0330 or 0400; the detail is certainly starting picking up as the apparent size increases.  Getting the parts to fix my focuser last weekend probably was a factor, too.   Using coarse focus on a 10 arc second low contrast object is an extra challenge!  This morning's relatively cool temperatures and low humidity made it an especially pleasant observing experience.  This was another "snap shot" experiment of using the scope without cooling the mirrors or even collimating.  This lets me fit observing in on mornings when I haven't gotten up any earlier than usual.  On balance, though, the degradation in optical performance makes it worth at least taking the few extra minutes to tweak collimation.

 

4 August: pre-cooled Natasha for the first time using the front surface mirror cooler.  90 minutes of all nine fans running made an appreciable difference!  I was able to see both Martian moons, I believe, as well as a crisp view of the planet's surface at 300X.

5 Aug:  I don't know if the air was super steady Thursday (8/04) , since I decided to try "snap shot" planetary observing that morning, but it was the coolest, least humid and most transparent morning for Mars viewing all week.  (If you're curious, by "snap shot" observing I mean wheel the Dob out of the garage with all the necessary eyepieces and accessories already on the attached tray, uncap the optics, observe, then reverse the previous steps.  Elapse time to get five minutes viewing on Mars:  ~10 minutes, or short enough to fit in on virtually any morning.  No tweaking of collimation, use of electricity for fans or tracking, just concentrated photons) This morning (Friday 8/05) the air was very still, and by pre-cooling my primary mirror for 90 minutes before observing I got very good Mars viewing conditions and even successfully recorded what Cartes du Ciel later confirmed was Phobos.  I also did some preliminary and inconclusive A/B testing between the optics in Natasha (premium mirror with enhanced coatings) and Frankenscope (a good stock Meade mirror).  Observing conditions were uncomfortable due to the absurdly high humidity, even in the pre-dawn hours, and it reminded me once again of why I'm a wintertime observer by nature.  Give me long nights, cold temperatures, and no mosquitoes any time!  I can always bundle up against the cold, but dripping sweat into the eyepieces in the dog days of summer gets old...

 

21 Aug:  first observing session since family beach vacation, and the planet seems appreciably larger than in early August.  did another "snap shot" without a collimation check.

 

22 August:  had another ground board failure on Natasha; the lack of fans to break up the boundary layer had an appreciable impact on the views.

 

25 August:  lousy snap shot session.  I think I'll go back to collimating every time.

 

26 August:  precooled mirror for 75 minutes.  Tried new "trick" of using shim adjustments on focuser to tweak autocollimation, vice turning the secondary mirror.  It made a difference, I think!  Had strong sketchable image at 360X, and it held up reasonably to 600X.  Mare Cimmerium, Mare Tyrrhenium, Eridania, and Ausonia were the most prominent features.

29 Aug: Yesterday's views were probably the best for me yet this season,, and certainly the best of the five observing sessions I've had on Mars over the past ten days.  I atttributed it to a combination of extremely humid and heavy air (90 percent humidity-- in fact, my viewing ended abruptly at 0445 when heavy ground fog rolled in) and the fact that I had set the telescopes (both Natasha and Frankenscope) up outside to be fan-cooled for two hours prior to observing. The horizontal "slash" formed by the Mare Sirenum/Mare Cimmerium complex was the most prominent "dark feature" visible, although there were unusual details in the far north as well, where I usually see empty space.  Agree that the south polar cap was quite tough to make out, but the bright area to its Southwest-- which I initially thought was just Eridana-- was quite striking. This morning the skies were reasonably clear around Mars at 0330 when I set Natasha out to clear, and still decent when I went out at 0400 to tweak collimation.  By the time I went out at 0415 to start observing, though, the sky was grayed out from horizon to horizon.  Had a cooled and collimationed 16 incher all dressed up with nowhere to go but back into the garage. Update:  the clouds thinned enough to allow Mars and the waning crescent moon to peak through for a few minutes.  I saw the same basic fine level of detail as yesterday-- a prominent white area near the SPC centered around Eridania, and the dark slash of Mares Sirenum and Cimmerium and Hesperia. Despite the dim and hazy view, I put in the Sirius Variable Optics Filter (three peak tunable interference filter) to see if I could coax any more detail out at differing settings.  I succeeded in pulling out a whitish region in the far north, which Mars Previewer subsequently identified as Chaos.  (I always observe first, then consult mapping software to correlate my findings; doing it the other way around would contribute to "averted imagination" and "subliminal seeing".)

7 Sept:  Cooled my 16" f/4.5 "Natasha" with her on-board and supplemental fans for a full hour, then got a quick observing session in at 0430.  The South Polar Cap was more distinct than it had been late last week.  Solis Lacus was the dominant dark feature, looking like a blot in the SW quadrant near the Central Meridian.  Mare Sirenum dominated the middle latitudes of the eastern edge of the planet,  with Mare Chronium south of it and morphing into a broad horizontal band formed by Aonius Sinus, Bosporus Gemmadus, and Protei Regio.  (Of course, I only figured out what these features were tonight, when I had a chance to correlate my sketch against Mars Previewer II !).  The transparency looked to be excellent-- after observing Mars I swung down to M-42, and even though the Trapezium showed some distortion from still being fairly low in the sky, the "F" star was about as clearly visible as I've ever seen it!

	8 Sept: the seeing was so bad for me in Leesburg that it was barely worth sketching!  It was a "snap shot" session (i.e., the mirror hadn't been pre-cooled beyond its normal  location in an unheated garage, but I had the on-board fans running.  Despite the relatively steep gradient between the glass and the ambient air temp, I thought the poor result was due more to seeing than thermals.  Perhaps not, though...
	12 Sept: "A Night To Remember" ...OK, so I used a bit of artistic license (apologies to Walter Lord, whose title I borrowed), it was actually morning.  Temp 59 deg F, humidity 73%-- cool and heavy air!   Set both Frankenscope and Natasha up at 0300/0700 UT.  Left Natasha to actively cool (9 fan configuration) and started with good ol' reliable Frankenscope.  Boy, have I missed having a Dob Driver for tracking!  (Had to decide which Dob Driver option to put on Natasha.)   Was able to get very good images at 300X, and decent ones at 400X.  With the Central Meridian at about 40 degrees, this is arguably the most complex and detailed aspect of Mars, with virtually the entire disc covered by discernable features.   Cooled Natasha until 0415, then switched to it instead.  The mirror was still ~7 deg. warmer than the ambient air, but the fans seemed to deal with it nicely.  Once I dialed the collimation in, had I was rewarded with good images at 400X-- I think the thermal barrier I am using to keep the observer's body heat out of the light path is helping!  (see the bottom of Thermal Effects for details).   The magic moments started at 0430 EST, though.  The seeing went to basically perfect, and for the first time I was able to see a clear optical difference between Frankenscope (good Meade mirror with good aftermarket secondary) and Natasha (premium grade primary with secondary to match).  I had an image at 400X that was astonishingly bright and clear-- like looking at a web cam composite digital image.  It was still very sharp at 600X (the highest I could go without Barlowing).  Frankenscope, meanwhile, was still stuck at the mid-300X, and its' image wasn't as bright nor did the focus "snap" in the same way.   Finally, a session that made all the expense and time of 'going upscale' on the new scope worthwhile!    I tarried longer than I should have looking, but the "viewer's high" made it was worth being late to the gym.
	13 Sept:  Another very good observing session, even if it didn't offer the "magic moments" of near-perfect seeing that prevailed yesterday.  Pre-cooled Natasha (16" f/4.5) for an hour, collimated, and started serious Mars observing at 0445.  The views were a bit soft at 600X, but quite nice at 500X.  Used my Sirius Variable Optics Filter (VFS), which is a tunable multi-peak interference filter.  Found the nicest views of Mars prevailed at a setting of #15-- which makes the surface more reddish and enhances contrast with the dark features.   The South Polar Cap is tiny but brilliantly clear; I also saw a broad whitish region at the edge of the planet towards the North polar region.  The large mass of dark features associated with Mare Erythraeum and Protei Regio dominated the left/central portions of the view, with clear deliniation of the "hook" of Mare Erythraeum jutting down and towards the right of center, complimented farther to the right (east) by Solis Lacus.  The light regions of Argyre I and Phyrrae Regio were quite distinctive, and served to break up the mass of dark features that otherwise predominate on this side of the planet.  Mare Acidalium and associated features were visible in the northwest (lower left quadrant in a Newtonian) portion of the field of view--again, it's nice to actually have something significant to see in the northern hemisphere of Mars!  I had the leisure after observing Mars to spend an hour+ collecting data for the zoom eyepiece evaluation I am performing.  Seeing conditions were good-- all three zooms tested today very cleanly showed the "F" star in the Trapezium of M42, even though it was still relatively low in the sky (~ 30 deg.).  Several of the zooms were also surprisingly good performers on Mars.  We've been spoiled by the amount of great seeing in the past week or so! Maybe it's the law of averages making up for a mediocre year to date... but nobody spoil it by buying a scope before the Star Gaze!
	16 Sept: Set up "Natasha" at 0230 to actively pre-cool.  When I went out to observe at 0315, the air temperature was 71 and the mirror 73.5-- not a bad delta.  Humidity was 83% and winds were nil, which made for good seeing, and therefore I was able to observe at 600X using my Sirius Variable Filter System at setting #15.  The South Polar Cap as usual was prominent, but for a change the northern latitudes of the planet were white (fog or ice?) as well within a full 15 degrees or so from the polar region.  This is the most activity I've seen so far in this region.  Niliacus Lacus and associated dark regions were clearly visible in the north, as well.  While at first glance this aspect of the planet seems to be marked by a near solid band of dark features towards the equator, a closer look revealed considerable detail.  In the east (lefthand side in a Newtonian), the most prominent feature was the "gulf" between Sinus Sabaeus and Margaritifer Sinus (say that one five times fast!).  Towards the western edge, the border between Mare Erythraeum and Sinai was nearly as prominent.   Having finished my sketching relatively quickly, I was going to do some thermal plume testing (to see how much the observer's body heat degrades the view), but noticed the contrast dropping rapidly through the eyepiece.  A glance at the sky revealed that the transparency was deteriorating, and within 5-10 minutes the skies were totally overcast.  Since the Clear Sky Clock hadn't been forecasting any useable weather this morning, I guess I got lucky!
	17 Sept:  A rare evening Mars observing session, towards the end of an evening of teaching the astronomy merit badge to 100+ Boy Scouts at the "Flying Circus" aerodrome.  It had been rainy and we had a full moon, so observing conditions were pretty wretched, but nonetheless we turned "Frankenscope" on Mars as soon as it cleared the trees-- call it 25 degrees elevation.  Mars was "swimming" pretty badly, but with the default Meade 14 UWA (131x) in a brief session I was able to make out the SPC and a rough triangle formed by Mare Tyrrhenum in the Southwest, Mare Serpentis in the Southeast, and Syrtis Major due north of them.  None of the non-astronomer observers with me could see anything other than a brownish-orange disc, however.

 

19 Sept:  Based on the steady air temperature (61 F), lack of wind, and fact that I'd pre-cooled my primary to within 1.5 F of ambient, I had high expectations for this morning's observing, but it turned out to be no better than average.  Mars would not take more than 360X without softening, as compared to the 600X I was able to use on a couple of mornings last week.  It's weird how localized the seeing is, with some of my great mornings in Leesburg being mediocre for Bob Bunge in MD, and vice versa.

21 Sept:  Conditions here in Leesburg were extremely good this morning at 0410.  I'd precooled Natasha for 75 minutes to within 3.5 deg. of the ambient air temperature of 60 F (the first day I've needed a windbreaker.).  I'd estimate the seeing at 9 out of 10-- one of those days when Mars would take practically whatever magnification the observer chose to throw at it.  I stopped at my non-Barlowed peak of ~605X with the Nagler 3-6 zoom, and the image was still plenty detailed.  Sinus Sabaeus and the "gulf" of Deucalionis Regio above it dominated the central western latitudes, with lots of detail in the gulfs of Mare Erythraeum to the West. Not only was the NPC very prominent, but I saw a pronounced whitish tinge stretching ~10 degrees inwards from the eastern limb running from the NPC to within ~30 degrees of the SPC.  Used both the Sirius Virtual Filter and unfiltered white light, with a slight edge in detail going to the white light view-- as would be expected.  All in all, a great session!

 

22 Sept:  Another good day here in Leesburg, as well, even though I could only work at 450X this morning-- 600X was a bit too fuzzy for my taste. Precooled the mirror for a whopping 90 minutes-- to within 3.5 degrees of ambient-- but then ran out of time for leisurely observing!  (OK, so I went back indoors and fell asleep. :-)  There was an interesting "broad band" of features in the mid-latitudes, running from the edge of Syrtis Major in the west to part of Mare Erythraeum in the east, with S. Sibaeus and D. Regio continuing their "bands of contrast" duet along the central meridian. Hellas was faintly visible in the southeast; Chalce and Pyrrhae Regio served to break up the dark mass of Mare Serpentis and Mare Erythraeum.   Will not trying to race, I finished my sketch in what turned out to 8 minutes from first glance to the "OK, I've got everything that doesn't depend on fleeting moments of good seeing."  Two minutes later, as I was closing the scope up, the cumulus clouds formed from horizon to horizon, obliterating all but the moon.  Guess it was a good thing I did "blitz observing" today, after all!

 

23 Sept:  Air temp 71, mirror 72.5, humidity 63% but felt higher.  Lots of haze and bands of high thin cloud.  Tried classic "snap shot" observing without any pre-cooling of mirrors.  Planetary detail poor, probably due to the wretched transparency.  Abandoned sketching after 5 minutes, when the transparency deteriorated markedly.  Sometimes you win, other times you don't.  Counting these reports, I realize I have observed and sketched Mars a full two dozen times this opposition, which I think is ahead of my pace in 2003.  (Will have to dig out the old observing logs and check some day...)

 

27 Sept: after a rainy spell, the forecast for this morning was "double dark blue" on Clear Sky Clock (CSC).  When I got up at 0245 the skies were crystalline clear; when I went to set Natasha out to pre-cool 15 minutes later, there were scattered cumulus clouds.  When I went back out an hour later to start observing, the skies were overcast from horizon to horizon, and I was half-surprised (but thankful) that there hadn't been a brief rain shower.  Too bad-- I had the primary mirror cooled down to within 1.5 degrees F. of ambient temperature.  Oh well, at least I saw Mars naked eye...

 

28 Sept:  This was a surprisingly mediocre morning for me, though some fellow NOVAC members reported much better conditions.  I'd pre-cooled Natasha for a full 90 minutes, though there was still a nominal 3.5 degree delta between the air and the mirror, largely due to the cool air temperature (high 40's).   The seeing was at best average, however, and I was only able to work at 360X-- anything higher was too soft to be useful. The view was of the most "classic" face of Mars, with Srytis Major front and center.  The SPC was surprisingly tough to see today.

 

29 Sept:  Skies were clear at 0300, but moderately dense cumulus clouds and high wind rendered observing very difficult when I went out to try to sketch Mars at 0430.  In hindsight, I realized this was exactly what Clear Sky Clock had predicted.  Oops!  In the glimpses between the clouds and gusts of wind, the seeing looked a bit better than yesterday-- call it average to average+.  Syrtis Major and Mare Tryyrhenum/Iapygia Viridis/Mare Serpentis were again the dominant dark features, but I could catch glimpses of the Hellas basis today.  The SPC was still tougher to see than usual.

 

30 Sept:  A weird observing session.  Cool, crisp fall weather felt good, CSC showed dark blue, and the stars didn't twinkle badly to the naked eye.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent view at 300X, and even 131 felt marginal.  I therefore decided to play around with my binoviewer, removing it from my PST complete with 1.3X OCA and Nikon zooms.  It rendered the best views of the morning at ~140X.  When I tried M42, though, the results were lousy-- seeing was way below average.

 

1 October:  The seeing was considerably better in Leesburg today than on the past couple of mornings, and I was again able to view Mars comfortably at 450X.   The light region of Zen Lacus was quite distinct in the south and straddling the Central Meridian, with Syrtis Major as its "dark matter" counterpoint due north.  Mare Tyrrhenum to the east and Mare Serpentis to the west lent considerable complexity and nuance to the views of the southern hemisphere--almost too much detail to sketch, on those fleeting seconds of outstanding seeing..  All in all, a good viewing session and hopefully a harbinger of great conditions at the NOVAC Star Gaze tonight!

 

2 Oct:  As the NOVAC "Star Gaze" 25th anniversary public star party (featuring John Dobson and Richard Berry) wound down, I looked at Mars through Natasha and a friend's Celestron 9.25  I was surprised that Mars looked as soft as it did through Natasha in comparison to another friend's 12" Dob with a Swayze mirror.  Later, I discovered that the eyepece was still set at 450X from the previous day's session!  The predominant features were Aonius Sinus in the southwest, with Mare Sirenum and Mare Cimmerium along the southern Central Meridian and southeast.  The SPC was still relatively subdued, while the North Polar Cap was more pronounced than usual.

 

17 Oct:   This was my first observing session in two full weeks due to an extended spell of rainy weather.  The planet looks noticeably larger now. The seeing for Mars was pretty decent this morning, and I did all my observing at 300X Weather was 55 degrees, with considerable broken clouds.  There was some breeze, but all in all good observing conditions-- except for the broken clouds. I'd actively fan cooled Natasha for 75 minutes, so there was virtually no temperature differential between the mirror and air.  (Per the recommendation of fellow NOVAC Mars observer Bob Bunger, I've got my temperature probes covered so they don't "see" the sky now, and should be more accurate.)  Solis Lacus stood out like a bulls eye in the southern hemisphere this morning, with a reasonable amount of detail (Mare Chromium etc.) between the equator ad the SPC.  The SPC was miniscule but clear.  There appeared to be a bit of ice or fog on the eastern limb, past Mare Sirenum.

 

18 Oct.  Mediocre to average session.  Thin high clouds may have been a factor. Cool temps (53 degrees) and low humidity.   Relatively little surface detail visible in unfiltered light-- less than on previous day.  Sirius VFS view at setting #15 brought out dark features.  Given time differential (30 minutes earlier than on 10/17), visible face of Mars virtually identical in topography to previous session, albeit with less to see.

19 Oct.  This was as good an observing session as yesterday's was frustrating, despite the fact that I did *not* pre-cool my scope before starting.  (I was running the 7 built-in fans, however.)  Observable detail was decent at 450X, with Solis Lacus again dominating the southern hemisphere view, and the SPC a fairly miniscule spot.   Due to the lateness of the hour (0500) I was observing from a seated position, which allowed me to continue my experimentation with the effects of the observer's body heat on the performance of truss tube dobs. (http://users.adelphia.net/~jbrspace/Thermal%20Effects.htm).   This time I saw a pronounced improvement when simple measures were taken to insulate the light path from the observer.  Finally--empirical vindication of something I've suspected for some time!  With the thermal baffling in place, I put in my Sirius Variable Optics Filter, which brought out the North Polar Region, the Argyre I basin, and some ice or fog on the eastern limb of the planet.  I had fun "spinning the dial" on this filter and observing the planet at different settings, and was able to crank the magnification of my Nagler zoom to 600X in moments of good seeing.  All in all, a very good observing session!

 

19/20 October: Went out for a second session with Mars, in view of the dust storm activity underway on the planet (and which I had sketched but not yet correlated in my morning session, as I hadn't gone through the "label what I saw" drill yet) and the forecast for rainy/cloudy weather locally.  The dust storm activity was remarkable, with the cloud that was in Chryse moving southeast to form a roughly Solis Lacus-sized mass in Mare Erythraeum, part appearing to bisect Solis Lacus itself,  and some significant atmospheric activity in the Northern hemisphere as well that was different from anything I'd seen before.  In fact, there seemed to be more detail visible in the NPC region than I've ever seen before.   I suspect Mars observers will be talking about this batch of storms and clouds for years to come.  Seeing was rock steady at midnight, with magnification of 600x possible.  The view looked like a webcam composite image, and there was almost too much detail to sketch at the moments of best seeing!

 

29 October:  We have had another spell of cloudy weather, or even more frustrating, mornings on which the sky is overcast at 0300 --when I'd typically set my scope up to cool-- but clear at 0445 when I'm headed off to work.  This morning was the obverse--clear enough (60 percent cloud covered) at 0200 to warrant setting the scope up, but then 99 percent overcast by 0300 when I went outside to collimate and observe.  Clear Sky Clock shows it as only 30% overcast.  I persevered long enough to spot Mars and track it through all but the densest clouds.  The most prominent features on the Central Meridian (CM) were Sinus Sabaeus and Decaulionis Regio immediately to its south.  I believe I saw dust activity towards the Chrsye basis in a brief nearly cloud-free glimpse, but this might have been the normal surface cloud activity associated wth Chrsye itself.  I believe I caught glimpses of the fast moving dust storm south of Sinus Sabaeus, but the cloud cover was too heavy for me to be definitive on this point.  (Note:  looking at images and posts on the Mars Yahoo group later confirmed that I was seeing dust activity.)

 

30 October.  Observed Mars from 0800-0900 UT, or a scant three hours after the point of closest approach to Earth for this opposition cycle.  I timed it this way so that I could get a modicum of sleep before observing (it was a long day of chores and errands) and so that the dust storm activity would be arriving towards the Central Meridian.  I tried a new way of cooling the scope.  Rather than setting it up outdoors on my driveway and running the onboard fans plus the two downward facing fans in the dust mask, I opted to run it for 5 hours in my unheated garage with only the onboard fans.  This seemed to be an easy way of prepping the scope with no worries about the weather deteriorating or nocturnal vandalism, and it ended up leaving the mirror a scant 1 degree+ above the ambient air temperature of 46 F.  The transparency was excellent, and the seeing was average or better.  I observed M42 as a test, and the "E" and "F" stars were cleanly visible, which I find indicates average or better winter seeing, while the extent of nebulosity was outstanding, suggesting excellent telescopic transparency.  Naked eye transparency was also superb, and I saw about as many stars (LM ~5) as I ever see now from my front yard with the encroachment of suburban sprawl.

Mars itself displayed surprisingly little surface detail in light of its large apparent size (20.15 arc sec).  I attribute this in part to the average seeing, but primarily to the extensive dust activity.  No polar caps or limb ice were visible.  The predominant dark features were Syrtis Major in the southwest and Sinus Sabaeus around the CM.  The Moab/Arabia basin appeared much brighter and yellower than usual-- I suspected dust activity, but it may have been the relative contrast to otherwise dust-obscured features to its immediate south.  I saw this later on images taken contemporaneously (http://www.arksky.org/asoimg/MarAF7A36C.jpg) but no one else seemed to term the northern portions visually significant, although all commented on southern and eastern portion as dust activity impinging on and obscuring  Sinus Meridani.  There was also clear dust activity farther north in Mare Erthryaeum.
Here is my sketch and observing report from the "Opposition" session:

 

31 Oct. 0930 UT  Seeing and transparency below average to average.  Able to observe at 300X, but with little surface detail-- dust?  Surface topography so washed out as to be almost unrecognizable, for the most part--Sinus Meridani vaguely seen in the southwest, with Mare Serpentis in the south-central latitudes.  Some limb brightening in the west.  The Moab basin was again brighter than usual-- due to dust???

31 Oct. Trick-or-Treat observing.  Used Frankenscope, vice Natasha, and my old Gary Russell Super Wide Angle 11mm Konig eyepiece.  Both decisions were validated, between kids who pulled the eyepiece and scope down to their level rather than climb the stairs, and the white-faced ghost who left a greasepaint ring on the eyecup!  When the walk-by traffic (50-75 parents and kids total) slowed down and Mars rose higher, I was surprised at how good an image I got-- decent enough to be able to sketch.  Saw eastern and western limb brightening, and a mixed bag of surface features.  I had forgotten what a sweet performer Frankenscope is, especially when the Dob Driver is behaving itself.

 

1 November.  A true "snap shot" session because of inadequate time-- I didn't even bring a battery out to run the fans.  Between that and mediocre seeing, the views were so mediocre that I could only get a halfway decent image at 131X, instead of my usual 300X or more.

 

2 November:  Again, tried a 'snapshot' session.  The seeing was even worse than the previous day; I couldn't even get a steady image at 131X.  Would have given up in disgust even if I weren't out of time. Noticed that left side wheelbarrow handle loose-- T-nuts pulling free from rocker box.  Epoxied them back into place and gave the scope 24 hours idle to let the bond set up-- thereby missing great seeing the following night!

 

4 November:  Seeing was good to very good; my baseline observing was done at 450X, with 600 soft but useable.  Much limb brightening on both sides, but especially pronounced in the east. Syrtis Major, Mare Serpentis, Sinus Sabaeus, and the neighboring dark features as usual were the most prominent aspects of this view.  Hellas was bright and easy to spot, Libya-- much smaller-- was discernable in the southwest.  SPC was not visible, but the North Polar Hood was.

 

November 5-6:  While wheeling Natasha down the driveway, the recently repaired left wheelbarrow handle separated completely, and the scope took an unscheduled plunge to the asphalt.  Fortunately I have the handles mounted so low that the highest part of the rocker box fell well under a foot, and since the mirror box is bolted into the rocker box during transport, potential disaster was averted.  I did have to dis-assemble the scope to get it back into the garage, however, since it is too heavy and ungainly to carry with any parts assembled or mated together.  I was tired, and it took me 3-4 hours to work up the energy to haul Frankenscope out (although I used it faithfully for ~4 years, I've gotten spoiled by the ease of transport of an assembled truss tube scope, especially as I get more tired.)  Finally got the scope up and reasonably cooled by 0130/0530 UT.  Transparency was average, and seeing ran the gamut from below average to above average.  Once I got the Dob Driver connection working (took a number of tries), it tracked well.

Did my sketching at 300-360X, and this was one of the more detailed drawings of the season.  The gap of Hesperia between Mare Cimmerium and Mare Tyrrhenum was very pronounced, as was the dark blot of Syrtis Minor.  Its big brother Syrtis Major and Mare Serpentis were emerging round the eastern edge.  No SPC but did see its "collar" Mare Australe clearly.  Saw some of the NPH and some limb brightening in the west. The small basins of Eridanus and Chaos were visible, along with emerging Hellas.  Saw an unusual amount of northern hemisphere detail (beyond basins and the NPH), including what "Mars Previewer II" suggests was the Hyblaeus Extension and Nodus Alcyonius.  In short, a detail-rich observing session!    Observing this high in the sky I had my first opportunity to use the "Cats Perch Pro" to observe seated at a height that normally would have required standing, and which was well beyond the reach of my old "Star Bound" chair.  I suspect some of the detail I observed and sketched is attributable to my seated (and comfortable) viewing position.

 

6 November: 1900 EST, 0000 7 Nov UT.  Got a quick glimpse of the planet between sucker holes in the partial overcast.  Altitude would have been too low for productive sketching, anyway.  Did show that my re-mounted wheelbarrow handles should be substantially more stable and secure than their predecessors (which I had my doubts about when I installed them-- unfortunately, they were all the local Home Depot carried).

6 Nov. 2100 EST, 0200 7 Nov UT  Tried again.  Unseasonably warm temperatures, stiff breeze, and rain shower that moved through earlier contributed to poor seeing.  300X was very marginal, and I didn't bother to sketch.  Had fun using the Sirius VFS, though, and some of my esoteric eyepieces.  The homemade 12.5mm monocentric had the best light throughput of the medium-power eyepieces used tonight.

7 Nov.  Even after pre-cooling the scope for an hour to get the mirror to the ambient air temperature, Mars is now too low to observe before heading to work in the morning, alas.  Even at 131X it was boiling, and I was practically sitting on the ground to get low enough to reach the eyepiece.  Will have to become an evening Mars observer from now on.  Fortunately the more interesting face will be working its way into the evening...

10 Nov. 2115 EST, 0215 11 Nov U.T.  45% humidity, air temperature 44, mirror 45.5 (I'd precooled it for an hour).  High stratus clouds and low wind.  Seeing was good--able to sketch at 450X.  The band of Mare Sirenum/Mare Cimmerium dominated the southern latitudes, wiht the Aonius Sinus/Mare Chronium band roughly parallelling this farther south.  Solis Lacus was faintly visible towards the southwestern limb.  The North Polar Hood was prominent, as was some dark structure in the northern plains, possibly Phlegra and Aetheria.  After doing my customary quick (10-15 minute) sketch, I looked for additional details with the Sirius VFS, and had good luck with settings around #105.

 

15 Nov:  after missing a couple of good nights due to health issues/hospitalization of my wife, I got a chance to relax and observe again ~2230 EST/0330 UT (16 Nov,(  It was windy and extraordinarily warm (I observed shirtless!).  There were bands of moderate cloud that eventually obscured the planet.  Mare Sirenum was the most prominent feature, with Mare Chronium south-west of it and Solis Lacus due west.

 

18 Nov:  tried a pre-dawn (0430 EST, 0930 UT) observing session.  The planet is now "officially" too low for me to observe before going to work-- even crouching on the ground I barely got low enough to peer through the eyepiece, and the image was dreadful-- to be expected, since the planet was probably a scant 20 degrees above the horizon.

 

19 Nov: Observed at 0200 EST/0700 UT.  Temp ~31* and humidity 41%-- a fairly comfortable set of conditions.  Transparency was superior-- when I looked at M-42, the "E" and "F" stars in the Trapezium were about as distinct and easy to discern as I've ever seen, even from under very dark skies.  Therefore, I was surprised at the lack of surface detail visible in unfiltered views of Mars.  The same basic set of features-- Mare Sirenun/Mare Chronium, in particular-- were visible, along with a bit of detail towards the NPH (Propontis Complex?).  From the NOVAC mailing list I learned that other local observers saw similarly spare detail.

Later that evening, I went to look at (for potential purchase) a StarMaster 24" f/4.3 with Zambuto mirror.  While we didn't look at Mars through the scope (I don't know why... guess we were concentrating on DSO's), I had brought "Natasha" along to do head-to-head comparisons, and we observed it ~2000 EST/0100 UT 20 Nov through my Nagler 31.  The Starmaster's owner was impressed by the view and by Natasha, likening it to his favorite Starmaster scope, the 14.5"  

 

25 Nov:  The viewing was surprisingly good, albeit a touch cold (26 deg. F.)  (Guess I haven't acclimated to winter viewing conditions yet!).  At 1930 EST/~0030 UT 26 Nov. I did my customary 7-8 minute sketch (I find I get ~90% of the detail in this interval, assuming decent seeing).  I knew as I drew that the seeing was pretty good, since I was seeing "notch detail" in the darkest features --the "hooks" of Sinus Meridani and the Deltoton Sinus "knobs" off of Syrtis Major-- but even so I was surprised when I later compared my quick sketch to the rendition generated by "Mars Previewer II".   The SPC was visible-- I haven't seen it for a while-- as was the NPH and a touch of trailing limb brightening.  Some northern hemisphere features I may not have sketched yet this opposition --like Ismenius Lacus-- were visible.  After sketching, I switched over to the binoviewers and had some decent views between 100-200 power.  All in all, a very good Mars observing session.

Here is the comparison between the computer view generated after my session by Mars Previewer and my sketch.  Not a perfect correlation, but one of my better efforts!

          Mars  0035 UT 26 Nov.             

 

26 Nov: 2015 EST, 0115 UT 27 Nov.  Temperatures warmer than previous night by 10 degrees, but accompanied by considerable high cumulus cloud cover.  Seeing was good, and the visible face of planet virtually the same as on the previous night.  SPC again visible, along with NPH and considerable trailing limb brightening.  The biggest difference vs. the previous night was somewhat less detail at those instants of great seeing, and a general inability to observe the basins (Hellas, etc.) that had been readily apparent the night before.  Dragged two of my kids outside to "make" them see the planet; discovered that it is much easier for such neophytes to use a binoviewer than the moderately short eye relief Nagler zoom.  Session prematurely truncated after ~30 minutes when the skies turned totally overcast.

 

30 Nov: 2245, 0345 UT 1 Dec  Inspired by reports of good observing from fellow NOVAC members, I went viewing despite being tired.  (I'd already pre-cooled Natasha's primary in anticipation.)  Temperatures in the low 40's, but felt much colder.  Transparency above average, seeing below average-- with fleeting glimpses of at best average seeing.  Didn't even bother to sketch, since 300X was too fuzzy most of the time.  Could see the NPH clearly.  Sinus Sabaeus and Mare Serpentis were the predominant dark features that could be glimped.  Looking at my bellwether of M-42, the "F" star in the Trapezium could barely be detected, confirming the "below average" seeing conditions.   Oh well, a short and insipid session is better than none!

 

13 December: 2230 EST, 0330 UT 14 Dec.  First observing session in a while due to weather and family issues.  Weather was a balmy 10 degrees F., so I wandered out in my dress slacks and shoes to do a "snapshot" session.  Skies were clear but the waxing gibbous/nearly full moon was a factor as well.  Seeing on Mars seemed so-so, and was unable to consistently discern the "E" and "F" stars simultaneously in the M42 Trapezium.  Despite the pickup nature of this observing session,  I ended up hauling out a marine battery and powering the fans.  This was yet another object lesson in the efficacy of active disruption of the boundary air layer.  Within seconds the views in M42 improved to the point that "E" and "F" were readily visible, and at the same focal setting.  On Mars, the image likewise showed a marked improvement.  Whereas I had only been seeing the central dark features of Hisperia/Mare Cimmerium and Mare Tyrrhenum, along with some trailing limb brightening, the fans showed considerable extra detail including a good view of the NPH.  Once again, this shows why I am a 'fan' of fans!

 

18 Dec: 1800 EST, 2300 UT.  First light on Mars with "Brutus", my 24" f/4 Dob!

 

	21 Dec: 2000 EST, 0100 UT 22 Dec.  Included Mars in another viewing session with "Brutus" at ~90X.  Tried the binoviewer out on it-- got a better image than in mono-viewing mode, but the planet definitely is moving far enough way for surface details to begin to diminish.
	25 Dec: 0030 EST, 0500 UT although primary at mini "Messier marathon" I did take the time to look at Mars a while.  Not a lot of detail was visible, especially compared to two months' prior.

 

12 Jan. 2006: 2030 EST, 0130 13 Jan. UT.  After a week+ of rains and clouds, the weather cleared enough to permit me to adequately test the modifications to Brutus.  The temperatures were unseasonably warm (nearly 50* F.?), humidity was virtually 100%, and the transparency stank. The air was very steady, though, and Mars looked pretty good at full aperture. My use of the Cat's Eye, autocollimator, and running four side mounted fans likely helped as well. It was when I tested my 10" off-axis aperture mask-- which makes Brutus into an unobstructed aperture 10" f/9.6 scope -- that the magic began.  The views of Mars rivaled those of ca. November, despite the fact that the apparent size of the planet has already shrunk to barely 10 arc-seconds.  The "classic face" of Mars was strikingly visible, with Syrtis Major and the more southernly dark terrain features quite prominent.  The Hellas basis stood out more starkly than at any other time since opposition, and I could see the much smaller Libya basis and the SPC as well.  It was like using a time machine-- the off-axis mask (and the humid air) had the effect of turning the clock back a couple of months in terms of observable Mars detail.   This view quality persisted even when I turned off the fans that were scrubbing the boundary layer. (I suspect the mirror may have been in virtual equilibrium with the ambient temperature, in light of the mild weather today.) It wasn't just Mars that benefited from this, either-- I installed the mask while looking at the Trapezium in M-42, and the split of the "E" and "F" stars from their brighter companions was the clearest I've ever seen though any scope.  I'd been agnostic about aperture masks before, and I know experienced observers differ as to their utility.   As for me, though based on this experience "I'm a believer!" 28 January 2006:  Went observing at C.M. Crockett park at a "Monthly Observing Session" of our Club.  Was basically there to help my son with his science project (comparing the faintest visible star in binoviewing vs. monoviewing modes), with M-42, Flame Nebula, M-46, and Saturn as the few objects I spent much time on with Brutus.  Didn't have much time to look at Mars. 29 January 2006.  It rained today, and the temperature is a balmy 50 F. with near 100 percent humidity.  Did the science experiment again, then "played".  The high humidity made for ultra stable air, even though eyepiece dewing was a problem.  Saturn looked superb at 500X, and held up OK to my maximum non-Barlowed peak of 800X+ in the Nagler 3-6mm zoom.  The Trapezium also showed the "E" and the "F" stars quite readily with the Meade 14, and acceptably with the new middleweight contendor, the Nagler 20 T2, and surprisingly, with the Nagler 3-6 zoom all the way up to 3mm!  Mars, on the other hand, was a disappointment, showing no significant features, other than perhaps a faint trace of polar ice.  I fear this may mean this is my last serious Mars observation session for the 2005 opposition.  I believe I logged ~60 Mars observing sessions from June 2005-January 2006, which was ahead of my pace in the 2003 opposition.