Mars Images — MarsWatch 2005

Monday, 22nd of August 2005

Tuesday, 23rd of August 2005

Seeing was fair at 4:48 EDT.

7" MN at f50, ToUcam pro, IR+RGB

Sean Walker
Methuen, MA

Wednesday, 24th of August 2005

Result of my Aug 24 observing session; very foggy air,with some clouds,seeing 
fair with good moments.  Remarkable was that the blue light image appeared more 
stable,not as usually the IR image.

Olympus Mons, just into view,is the most interesting detail of the image, but 
also a very thin dark polar collar around the SPC.

10 inch Newton & ATK-1HS camera IRGB and blue images taken at 0.13-0.12"/p
I had to decrease the focal length this time due to the poor transparency of 
the fog.

Ralf Vandebergh

Thursday, 25th of August 2005

Friday, 26th of August 2005

Mars from August 26, 2005 18:51 UT, imaged from Nagoya, Japan.

Robert Heffner

Mars on 8-26, 9:24 UT.

7" @f/50, ToUcam Pro, IR+RGB

Sean Walker
Methuen, MA

Saturday, 27th of August 2005

Sunday, 28th of August 2005

Date (UT): 28 August 2005	           Time (UT):  03:38h
CM: 131°	          H: 56°	              Dec: 13°50'15"
De: -13°		Ls: 277°		φ: 13.7"

Telescope Schmidt-Cassegrain 280   (f/10 – f/25)
Seeing: (0-10 scale) 5               Trans.: (0-6) moon !
        (10 = excellent)
Magnification:  330x / 350x

Filters: Schott:    OG 550  orange
        Wratten:  W  64    blue/green
                  W 81    yellow
                  W 85   salmon

Observer Station:                                       Observer:
7° 18' (E) / 48° 01' (N)                        Teichert Gérard
Hattstatt / France

Observing notes:

-The SPC appears smaller than before
-MARE SIRENUM is normally dark
-Bright dust spot near TITHONIUS LACUS  (1)
-Polar haze appears on the northern area (2)
-TRIVIUM CHARONTIS can hardly be seen

This morning I took some blue images of Mars showing good visibility of 
the large Arsia orographic cloud.  This animation shows its rotation from 
02:16 UTC to 03:15 UTC (one hour difference) note its shape and especially 
its shadow at the lefter side.
 
The seeing was better in the blue light then in the other wavelengths, which 
is very strange.I have noted that already for a longer time.
 
10 inch Newton & ATK-1HS @ 0.08"/p f/62

Ralf Vandebergh

Here is the complete observing set of my Aug 28 observing session.  Poor 
seeing during the whole night,with high clouds, but just very good seeing in 
the last minutes of darkness,after passing a field of clouds.  In this minutes 
I took these images.  The first image is one in near infra-red and shows 
especially Olympus Mons very well as a bulge.
 
The blue images below are those used for the animation of the cloud above Arsia.
 
10 inch Newton & ATK-1HS and Philips ToUcam PCVC750k f/48-f/62  0.08"/p-0.10"/p

Ralf Vandebergh

Additional Mars ToUcam color image of Aug 28, at04:05:33 UTC
The bulge of Olympus Mons is very obvious.
 
(10 inch Newton & ToUcam PCVC750k@ 0.10"/p f/48)
 
Ralf Vandebergh

Monday, 29th of August 2005

MARS IMAGES, AUGUST 29th, 2005
 
D. A. Peach. Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, UK.
14" (35cm) Celestron SCT @ f/39.5.
Lumenera LU075M CCD camera.
  
Seeing again initially fair (p4-5) later good (p6-8.)
Transparency excellent (5,5mag.)
No wind. Moderate dew.
   
Alt=44-52 degs.

MARS IMAGES, AUGUST 29th, 2005
 
D. A. Peach. Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, UK.
14" (35cm) Celestron SCT @ f/39.5.
Lumenera LU075M CCD camera.
  
Seeing again initially fair (p4-5) later good (p6-8.)
Transparency excellent (5,5mag.)
No wind. Moderate dew.
   
Alt=44-52 degs.

MARS IMAGES, AUGUST 29th, 2005
 
D. A. Peach. Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, UK.
14" (35cm) Celestron SCT @ f/39.5.
Lumenera LU075M CCD camera.
  
Seeing again initially fair (p4-5) later good (p6-8.)
Transparency excellent (5,5mag.)
No wind. Moderate dew.
   
Alt=44-52 degs.

Seeing quite variable this morning, but far better than the past few days. 
I imaged Friday and Saturday and only could find 27 useable images out of 
1200!!  Hellas bright in the morning. South Pole hazes.
	  
	  Dave Moore

This morning I took again some blue images with nearly 1 hour time 
difference to show the Arsia Cloud moving.  Also other interesting 
structures and changes can be seen.  

Times: 02:52:07-04:08:16 UTC
 
10 inch Newton & ATK-1HS f/62
 
Ralf Vandebergh

Attached is the complete observation-set of my Aug 29 session; Olympus 
Mons shows incredible detail, with different ringstructures.
Again the 2 blue images of the animation are added below.
 
Ralf Vandebergh

Here is an especially natural image,later in my Aug 29 Mars observing 
session.  This might be the best image I took so far, concerning visual
impressions.
 
10 inch Newton & ATK-1HS with color filters f/62
  
	Ralf Vandebergh

Tuesday, 30th of August 2005

Observer      : Christian Woehler
Instrument    : Orion TS 200/1200 mm Newton reflector
Camera        : Philips ToUCam Pro CCD Webcam
Location      : Heroldstatt, Germany
Date (UT)     : August 30, 2005
Time (UT)     : 03:33
CM (degrees)  : 110.3°
Focal length  : 4200 mm
Scale         : 0.14"/pixel
Filter        : RG 610
Stacked images: 4800; best 10% selected
Seeing        : 4/10
Remarks       : -

MARS IMAGES, AUGUST 30th, 2005
 
D. A. Peach. Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, UK.
14" (35cm) Celestron SCT @ f/39.5.
Lumenera LU075M CCD camera.
  
Seeing poor-fair (Pickering 3-5.)
Transparency excellent (5,5mag.)
No wind. Moderate dew.
   
Alt=49 degs.

Poorer seeing, but still much detail is visible.  The Arsia cloud is much 
fainter, and lacks it second "component" nearer the disk centre which only 
seems to form when the volcano is approaching the terminator.
 
Olympus and Ascraeus Mons appear dark in Blue. Tithonius Lacus shows some 
nuclei, and Solis Lacus shows several "canals" extending from its centre. 
Also Phasis appears broken into small patches.

Date (UT): 30 August 2005	            Time (UT):  02:27h
CM: 95°			H: 51°			Dec: 14°04'10"
De: -13°		Ls: 279°		φ:13.9"

Telescope Schmidt-Cassegrain 280   (f/25)
Seeing: (0-10 scale) 7-8                    Trans.: (0-6) 4-5   moon
        (10 = excellent)
Magnification:  330x / 350x

Filters: Schott:    OG 550  orange
         Wratten:  W  64    blue/green
                   W  80a  blue
                   W 85    salmon

Observer Station:                               Observer:
7° 18' (E) / 48° 01' (N)                Teichert Gérard
Hattstatt / France

Observing notes:
-The SPC can be seen
-Low contrast in the southern areas
-ARGYRE (southern terminator) is normal bright (1)
-Equatorial white spot (ECB) in the XANTHE (2)
-Whit cloud is located above AMAZONIS (3)
-Arctic haze (NPH) persist (4)

Mars images on Aug 30, IRGB and blue light shots.Great moments of seeing made 
it possible to resolve almost the whole martian disk in fine detail.  The high 
contrast blue light images show Olympus Mons as a dark spot and the white cloud
above Arsia obvious.

One word about the seeing circumstances:  It was a great feeling to see finally
a sharp martian disk on the screen,after long periods of cloudy weather and 
poor seeing,which is quite normal at this location.
 
Visual observations:  At 1000x it was amazing to see very small but also very 
sharp SPC,much smaller as most images does suggest...
  
  Ralf Vandebergh

Attached is the blue light animation of the Aug 30 observations.
We see nicely the rotation of the Arsia orographic cloud as well as the 
dark spot of Olympus Mons in almost exactly 1 hour time difference:
 
04:27 -- 05:26 UTC
  
10 inch Newton & ToUcam PCVC750k @f/62 0.08"/p  Astronomik blue filter.
   
	Ralf Vandebergh

On Aug 30 I took also some normal ToUcam images aside from the IRGB 
monochrome ccd shots.  The simple ToUcam images show even one of the 
other Tharsis vulcanos near the terminator as a bulge in relief.
Also the orographic Arsia cloud can be seen well.
 
 Ralf Vandebergh

Wednesday, 31st of August 2005

Mars, Aug.31, 2005 UD
CM175.2 degrees, De -12.6 degrees, Ls 279.1 degrees
Phase defect .869, Size 14"
Celestron NexStar 11 GPS at 462x with W23A red filter.

Hot, very humid, clear, no breeze, no Moon.  Miniscule SPC less brilliant 
than recent observations.  Sirenum & Cimmerium darkest, most prominent albedo 
features.  Hesperia & P edge of Tyrrhenum at F limb.  Phaethontis dusky, 
Eridania brighter.  Memnonia & Elysium brightest regions.  Propontis barely 
seen near N limb.  NP Hood more easily seen in W80A blue than in W38A dark 
blue filter.  W38A filter showed very thin, evening limb haze and wider, 
brighter morning limb haze.  SPC brighter in W58 green filter than W38A filter. 
Albedo features very difficult in W38A filter, but easy in W80A and W58.  

Jay Albert
Lake Worth, FL  

Mars on Aug 31, IRsGB and blue light image.  Taken in poor seeing conditions 
with some fair moments.  Transparency was good though.
 
 (10 inch Newton & ATK-1HS with color filters at f/60  pixel res: 0.08"/p ).
  
	Ralf Vandebergh

Here is a set of near infra-red ToUcam images from Aug 31, in spite of the 
reasonably poor seeing,the ToUcam images seemed well.

Note the very small Foelix near Solis Lacus. I have attached a part of 
the Mario Frassati General Mars map.
 
 Ralf Vandebergh


Back to MarsWatch Image index