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            --.    THE INTERNATIONAL MARS WATCH ELECTRONIC NETWORK
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        ::::       19 February 1996

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Friends of Mars,

Here is an update from Todd Clancy on the preliminary results from
his most recent microwave observations of Mars atmospheric dust activity:

>From clancy@isidis.colorado.edu Thu Feb 15 15:02 EST 1996
>
>The current Mars dust storm behavior is in a state of flux.  I've
>analyzed ~weekly observations since Jan 4, when the global storm first
>became evident.  This Jan 4 observation showed the abrupt onset in dust
>heating (~20K) for altitudes above 10 km, relative to the Dec 1995 (and
>previous) observations.  Curiously, the dust heating at 25 km has
>decayed since Jan 4-5 (Ls=222), to the point where by last Friday
>(Ls=244) the dust heating was reduced by half.  The dust heating at
>higher altitudes (45km) actually peaked between Jan 4 and Feb 9, at
>around Ls=230, but it is also dropping at this point.  This behavior is
>reminiscent of the first 1977 dust storm in terms of the seasonal
>timescale of roughly 20-40 degrees period in Ls (say from sometime 
>after Ls=205 in Dec95 to Ls=240 in Feb96), but the peak heating of this
>storm is maybe half that experienced in the 1977a or b storms.  I don't
>have a clue as to whether a second storm will occur before Ls=290, as
>in 1977, but I will continue to monitor the dust heating with weekly to
>every-other-week observations for the next two-three months.  After
>that, I'll probably return to monthly observations.  It certainly is
>different from the 1977 and 1994 behaviors; how different remains to be seen.
>
>Todd 
>

As far as I am aware, no new observations in the visible or near-IR
have been performed since Mars approached to within about 10 degrees
of the Sun.  The post-conjunction 10 degree elongation limit will
not be reached until late April.  So until then we should all take 
vacations or (finally) write those papers on last opposition's data!
(Except for Todd, of course...)

I just received a message from Dr. Akabane in Japan informing me that
he, Dr. Iwasaki, and a number of Japanese amateur astronomers will be
attempting to obtain CCD images of Mars during the 96-97 apparition,
and that they are very interested in becoming part of the growing
network of electronically-linked Mars telescopic observers.  The 
involvement of our Japanese colleagues will substantially improve the 
coverage of Mars longitudes, and will help to acheive the goal of 
obtaining global diurnal coverage.  

--Jim Bell

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