FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Friday night Mars viewing at Heritage Square (Flagstaff)

[BillFerris@xxxxxxx]

The Coconino Astronomical Society featured Mars during its monthly sidewalk 
astronomy event at Heritage Square in downtown Flagstaff. Lines started forming 
at the five telescopes shortly before our scheduled 8pm start time and 
remained ten or more deep for the next two hours. The crowd started to thin a 
bit at 
10:00pm and by 10:45pm, we started packing up.

Tonight, Mars is again the featured subject during our regular monthly 
meeting in the Lowell Visitor Center. The meeting begins at 6pm and, weather 
permitting, members will setup their scopes outside the Lowell Rotunda for Mars 
observing after the meeting. CAS members are going to be treated to a private 
Mars 
observing session on the Lowell 24-inch Clark beginning at midnight.

I brought my 4.5-inch Meade Newtonian to the Heritage Square event and will 
probably bring that scope, tonight. It's surprising how much can seen with this 
run-of-the-mill, small aperture Newt. Almost everybody who passed through my 
line saw the SPC and many were able to discern Syrtis Major and Sinus Sabaeus.

The best view I saw, last night, was through Padraig Houlahan's 10-inch 
Discovery Dob. I don't know the focal length of the scope, so can't state the 
magnification. But he used a 19-mm eyepiece paired with stacked 3X and 2X 
Barlows 
to produce a very sharp, steady image.

Regards,

Bill
=========
Bill Ferris
"Cosmic Voyage: The Online Resource for Amateur Astronomers"
URL: http://www.cosmic-voyage.net
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