Re: Observing Mars

Gordon, i fully agree with you, the views are fantastic, i am eagerly waiting for tonight, i hope to get some shots through the eyepiece too!,
I use my 8" SCT, i've just bought an Orion Steadypix camera holder form www.scsastro.co.uk
This handy little thing will hold a digital or slr camera, just point it into the camera and shoot. This is agreat oppurtunity to view such a good target.
Keith....

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Original Message

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From: Gordon Nason
To: irishfas@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 7:53 PM
Subject: [irishfas] Observing Mars


If you haven't been staying up late to observe Mars yet, please do so. The detail is absolutely fantastic. Best views I've ever had and it's not even at its closest yet. I stayed up until nearly 3am on a couple of nights this week. The South Polar Cap is a brilliant white surrounded by a dark hood, signs of it melting. At the moment, the northern hemisphere facing us in the early hours of the morning is somewhat barren but the southern hemisphere is full of detail with Mare Cimmerium, Mare Sirenum, Mare Chronium, Eridania, Hesperia and Mare Tyrrhenum quite easily seen using a 10" LX50 with a 8mm Radian giving 312x. High power is essential - I tried 385x but unfortunately the seeing just wasn't good enough. Perhaps tonight! Observers I know in the US south-west have managed 500-700x!

Gordon

I hope other members of IFAS around the country are taking advantage of the clear skies?, Mars is fantastic, 7 car loads from galway ventured out to our observing area last night and stayed there till 2am, with 3 telescopes and my 8 inch SCT aswell, polar cap is defo melting and several white spots visible, Clouds? is very high up compared to two years ago, also many perseids last night aswell, best club night out in many years. :