After several days of constant cloud cover I finally managed out on Friday night (29.01.10) to grab an observation of Mars as the Earth makes it’s closest approach to the red planet since 2007. Unlike my previous telescopic encounter with our nearby planetary neighbour, there was far greater surface detail to be had — even although the seeing wavered between Ant 3 & 5.
The north polar cap was a vivid crown of white, below which sat the dark stain of the Mare Acidalium. The southern hemisphere revealed the Mare Erythreum & the Mare Serpentis as a mottled band across the planetary disc, while to the east the vast expanse of Arabia, Eden and Moab could be seen.
Mars at Opposition: Mouseover the image for more information.
Mars will remain a prominent telescopic object in the night sky for the rest of next week, after which it will begin to recede. It won’t be this close again until 2012. So, if your skies are clear, be sure to take the opportunity to catch it while you can!
Tags: Arabia, Cancer, Celestron Omni XLT 120, Eden, Mare Acidalium, Mare Erythreum, Mare Serpentis, Mars, Moab, Moon, Planum Boreum
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At the beginning of last weekend I was offered a chance to test out my shiny new Antares 3X barlow lens which I had purchased from the excellent Rother Valley Optics. Using it in combination with the 12.5 mm Celestron Omni Plössl, I can now attain 240X magnification with the XLT 120 — a fact that makes me almost froth at the mouth.
Mars proved to be an irresistible target and an ideal testing ground for my new piece of kit. The conditions, having suffered overcast skies & a little rain for the best part of the day, weren’t all that great. However, I was determined to grab an observation of Mars even if it was a fleeting glance through the broken tufts of cloud that were passing overhead.
Mars Nears Opposition: Mouseover the image for more information.
Starting out with the 12.5 mm Plössl on it’s own, the glaring Martian disc was discernible as well as some extremely vague surface features. With the seeing holding at Ant 3 I could just make out wavering hints of the Propontis Complex to the north & the Mare Sirenum to the south, but the real fun began when I stepped up the magnification using the Antares 3X barlow.
The only drawback that this brought was an increase in atmospheric turbulence with the seeing now oscillating between Ant 3 & 5. Nevertheless the increase in power was well worth it. The north polar cap blazed a brilliant white while the Mare Sirenum was far more evident. Unfortunately the Propontis Complex, no matter how hard I looked, had disappeared from view.
This was a truly breathtaking observation and aside from a little chromatic aberration the Antares barlow lens performed beautifully. I only hope that I get the opportunity to put it to use near the end of the month when Mars is at opposition.
Tags: Celestron Omni XLT 120, Mare Sirenum, Mars, Planum Boreum, Propontis Complex
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It has been too long since my last blog post and it’s all down to work as well as personal commitments piling up faster than I could handle them. Hopefully I can get back to updating this blog on a regular basis. I made this particular observation back at the start of November (09/11/09), and it was a first for me: the exceptional and equally enigmatic Mars …
Like Balor’s evil eye†, Mars beamed it’s intense copper luminescence into the sky as it rose over the roof tops on a bitterly cold Monday morning. Although I’ve had the chance to spy the the red planet making it’s morning run into the sky since August, this was the first time that I have actually viewed it through a telescope. It was an observation of mixed emotions. On the one hand I felt quite overwhelmed knowing that I was gazing upon such a fabled world; on the other, I was slightly disappointed.
Using my 6mm plössl, which allowed for a magnification of 166x, Mars appeared so small — yielding absolutely no detail. With an apparent diameter of 8.4 arcseconds I couldn’t have expected much more. However, with opposition occurring just over a week away on January the 29th, Mars will continue to grow in size — reaching a maximum diameter of 14.1 arcseconds. However, the Earth will make it’s closest approach to Mars on January the 27th — coming within 61.7 million miles. So if you’ve got clear skies on those dates make sure you get out and drink in the telescopic view. For more information on observing the red planet & future apparitions check out the Mars Observer Cafe .
† Balor of The Evil Eye is a character based in Irish mythology. King of the Fomorians, a race of quasi-deistic giants, Balor possessed one eye capable of instantly killing anyone it gazed upon. He was slain by his grandson Lugh at the second Battle of Magh Tuiredh as the Tuatha Dé Danann — peoples of the goddess Danu — fought for their freedom.
Tags: Cancer, Celestron Omni XLT 120, Mars
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On November the 5th 1605, a group of English Catholics were foiled in their attempt to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Their plan had been to blow up the Houses of Parliament during the state opening, using 36 barrels of gunpowder, which would have killed the King and most of the Protestant nobility in the process. The man responsible for executing what became known as the Gunpowder Plot, because of his military and explosives experience, was Guy Fawkes.
Fortunately the conspirators’ plot unraveled and Guy Fawkes, who helped conceal the gunpowder barrels in a cellar beneath the Houses of Parliament, was arrested a few hours before he planned to detonate them. Had he been successful in igniting the gunpowder, the explosion would have destroyed the Old Palace of Westminster completely and shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings within a 1 kilometer circumference. All of those involved in the conspiracy were quickly hunted down and dispatched one way or another.
The Gunpowder Plot passed from history into folk lore, but it’s defeat has resonated down through the centuries and has always been commemorated every year since by burning bonfires along with the setting off of fireworks. It was against this setting, with the scent of smoke from fading bonfires and spent fireworks, that I produced the rough graphite sketch of the Moon that you can see below.
Waning Gibbous Moon 05.11.09: Mouseover the image for more information.
If I’d been more organised I would have taken the time to make the disc of the moon far neater by using a template, but all in all the sketch still turned out okay. As this was a quick observation I decided to record the most obvious features across the surface of the Moon rather than get mired in the almost infinite details, but I’ll certainly be aiming for a far more in-depth study next time around. It’s just a pity that there won’t be any fireworks!
Tags: Apennine Mountains, Aristarchus, Aristoteles, Atlas, Bessel Ray, Brenner, Burg, Colombo, Copernicus, Cyrillus, Dawes, Eudoxus, Fabricius, Fracastorius, Grimaldi, Gutenberg, Hercules, Janssen, Kepler, Macrobius, Manilius, Mare Humorum, Mare Imbrium, Mare Nectaris, Mare Nubium, Mare Serenitatis, Mare Tranquillitatis, Menelaus, Metius, Moon, Oceanus Procellarum, Plato, Plinius, Posidonius, Riccioli, Santbech, Sinus Iridium, Strathspey 25x100, Theophilus, Tycho
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While my binocular observation of Epsilon Lyrae, almost two weeks ago, offered a beautiful view I wasn’t quite prepared for the stunning sight that presented itself to me last Friday night — 16.10.09 — as I began gazing through the 5 inch refractor. Although there was a tenuous haze high up in the atmosphere the seeing conditions were relatively steady and both sets of stars exhibited a single inner diffraction ring during the good moments of atmospheric stability.
Ε Lyrae 1 comprises of two stars that orbit one another every 1,200 years, shining at magnitudes 4.7 and 6.2, while Ε Lyrae 2 consists of a magnitude 5.1 and 5.5 pair with an orbital period of 585 years. Both doubles offer a dazzling spectacle even under the most light polluted of skies and are more than worthy of your time. If you’ve not taken in an observation of this outstanding quadruple star system yet then do so. You won’t be disappointed!
Tags: Celestron Omni XLT 120, Epsilon Lyrae, Lyra, Multiple Star
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