FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Mars

[Jeff Hopkins <phxjeff@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I finally was able to get up at 4 am to take a look at Mars. I was 
using my new 6" Meade refractor this morning.

I was astounded at how poor the Phoenix sky was. Aside from Mars, 
there were practically no stars visible. It was still dark and 
"clear," however. Also, as I have experienced before, sometimes these 
conditions of very poor transparency give rise to excellent 
stability. This seemed to be the case this morning. I was easily able 
to go to high power and see distinctive dark markings on Mars and a 
fabulous polar cap. This was just to be a test for me and I was not 
prepared to take any images. This is the first time I've seen such 
detail on Mars and am excited about the fact Mars will be getting 
even closer and larger over the next couple of months.

I'm headed to my mountain top (7.500') this weekend to give Mars a 
try. I may end up trading stability for transparency, however.

Jeff
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                                           Jeff Hopkins
                                            HPO SOFT
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