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Mars detail question

 

I think I made a mistake reading people's observations of mars on Cloudy Nights.?
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There were two objects that people reported being able to see visually in 8" to 10" scopes: "Olympus Mons" and the "Tharsis Montes" 3 Volcano Grouping.
Most of the time it seems they were just seeing clouds above those objects.
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My question for the group:?
Has anyone ever seen any detail on mars visually other than the ice cap and albedo regions.
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I don't expect I ever will but it would be interesting to know if it was really possible.
?
- Jonathan
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No, beyond amateur scopes visually. Olympus Mons has not been on the face recently and you would have to have clouds above it and see the clouds. Clouds are usually seen in light blue filters. All your observing is albedo features. Now on exceptional nights of very steady seeing and a big disc (something we don't have now and won't for a very long time), you may see more detail in the shades but no physical detail, as on the moon, that I have ever seen. It is Mars spring right now so some features are there and some are not.

The classic observers in the nineteenth century were using refractors in the 29 to 40 inch range and even then detail was very ambiguous at best. A few serious claims by very good observers who were quite honest were rumored but are not really accepted now as correct. It took the Martian space probes to start to fill in the blanks from orbit. Up till that time no one knew if there were craters or what? So yes all you see are shades and you have to interpret those shades based on location.

Hellas Basin is a great example. Visually, an oval that is a lighter shade than the area around it but what was it actually? It could easily be mistaken for a pole. Only after NASA was it identified as the largest impact basin in the solar system.

On Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 04:54:02 PM EST, Jonathan Scheetz <jonathan@...> wrote:


I think I made a mistake reading people's observations of mars on Cloudy Nights.?
?
There were two objects that people reported being able to see visually in 8" to 10" scopes: "Olympus Mons" and the "Tharsis Montes" 3 Volcano Grouping.
Most of the time it seems they were just seeing clouds above those objects.
?
My question for the group:?
Has anyone ever seen any detail on mars visually other than the ice cap and albedo regions.
?
I don't expect I ever will but it would be interesting to know if it was really possible.
?
- Jonathan
?
?
 

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.
?
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.
?
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. :)
?
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.
?
Thanks for the information.
?
?
?
- Jonathan
?
 

I hope it doesn't bother you because there are loads of them. The picture enclosed is a good example of what can't be seen telescopically.? But I do recall a couple of nights, 3 to 5 years ago, when things were certainly very good. But prior to that for the 20 previous years only fair views. That is the charm of the place. Mars makes you earn every square inch. One life time of observing may be enough. The greats could count seasons on one hand usually with maybe a finger from the other but not much more.

Stand about twenty feet back from the picture, squint a bit and that is a good approximation.

On Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 09:40:51 AM EST, Jonathan Scheetz <jonathan@...> wrote:


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.
?
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.
?
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. :)
?
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.
?
Thanks for the information.
?
?
?
- Jonathan
?

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