Thanks Mark.? I didn't really expect to see any surface detail in my scope.? When I set these kinds of challenges for myself I really don't expect to see anything.?
But sometimes I do get my hopes up but for some reason failures in astronomy never seem to bother me.
I've probably looked for three times as many galaxies as I've ever seem but sometimes I get to see something I didn't expect.
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According to SkySafari Olympus Mons was supposed to be about dead center in mars when I was looking for it (see attached photo).? But of course I didn't see anything - and didn't expect to.
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You comment about a "big disc" got me attention so I went out and found some info on that (see attached) - I didn't realize that mar's diameter changed that much at opposition.
The next "big disc" will be in 2035 and then again in 2050.? ?I'll be pretty old by then but I'll try to make it. :)
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Based on some of the "comments" in Cloudy Nights I thought some of the folks in our group with big scopes might have been able to see Olympus Mons or the Tharsis Volcano grouping but based on your feedback I know that isn't possible.
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Thanks for the information.
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- Jonathan
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Jonathan Scheetz