[AZ-Observing] Mars Polar Cap ( detached chunk) and Saturn is back
- From: "William R Wood" <wmrwood@xxxxxxx>
- To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2003 07:57:44 -0700
Finally had a clear (for awhile anyway) night last night and looked at Mars
in the 10" D-K Cassegrain. Seeing was 5/10 and I was able to use up to
400x. I saw, to my surprise, what appeared to be a chunk of the S polar cap
that was mostly, if not completely, detached from the main area of the cap.
It appeared as if a low area of the cap did not melt yet leaving this chunk
behind as the rest of the cap receded. Did anybody else see this?
I also saw Deimos at about 11:00pm by moving Mars just outside the FOV. I
normally like the diffraction spikes that the spider makes around bright
objects but they get in the way when trying to see Mars' moons and there is
no way I can see them with Mars in the field.
The clouds sent me in about 11:30pm but I came back out at 4am and it was
clear again. Seeing was still 5/10 or maybe a tad better. As it was
getting light I looked at Saturn which was pretty high, maybe 48* alt, and
it was terrific at 400x. Crepe Ring visible, Cassini division sharp as a
tack all the way across the planet's disc, and a prominent reddish band on
the planet above the rings. The angle of the rings has reduced a little
since I last saw Saturn in the western sky but they are still very well
positioned. Nice to see Saturn again.
Regards,
Bill Wood
Fountain Hills, AZ
--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please
send personal replies to the author, not the list.
Other related posts:
