Warthog
February 22nd, 2010, 12:37 PM
Knowing that tonight was likely to be the last look at Mars I will get in February (the forecast is for cloud, rain and snow all week), I set up the refractor tonight for a look. The seeing was excellent, but the transparency was poor and the sky overall a bit hazy. I put in my 4.8mm Nagler, but the best I could do was a fuzzy orangeish disc. With time, I was able to see from time to time a triangular dark patch on what I took to be the western limb.
At 208x, my calculations tell me that Mars apparent size in the scope was about 40`, but I have a hard time believing that disc was bigger than the size of the full moon. I watched for about half an hour. I couldn`t see the clearly defined polar cap that I could see last time around, but I`m thinking it may not be there, as it`s spring in the Northern Hemisphere this time. I watched for about a half hour, and decided that because it was -2ยบ and I wanted to move on, I should turn the scope on the Moon for the rest of my time outside.
At 208x, my calculations tell me that Mars apparent size in the scope was about 40`, but I have a hard time believing that disc was bigger than the size of the full moon. I watched for about half an hour. I couldn`t see the clearly defined polar cap that I could see last time around, but I`m thinking it may not be there, as it`s spring in the Northern Hemisphere this time. I watched for about a half hour, and decided that because it was -2ยบ and I wanted to move on, I should turn the scope on the Moon for the rest of my time outside.