Sat Ares Day

by Dave North


For most of the evening Saturday Syrtis Major did the triangular tap dance on various eyepieces, and in combination with Utopia and (later) Sinus Meridiani gave pretty good views though the seeing was mushy most of the time.

However, around 1am we got some very nice moments of steadiness, and through several telescopes got solid views of the dark "rim" between the Vastitas Borealis and the pole. Reportedly the best views were through the 30-inch Challenger telescope, but I wasn't smart enough to make the stroll up to see it.

But second best was pretty good! This is a very nice opposition we're getting, though we had to wait through an incredible mess of rain to get to this wonderful week...

Technical data
LocationFremont Peak California
Instruments12.5-inch dob
AP 155 f/7