What equipment were you using, Marek?
Christopher
Marek Cichanski wrote:
>Just got in from observing Mars at home, after having bailed from Coe.
>
>Drove to Coe under a nice clear sky, but it was too windy there. There were
>a couple of other observers setting up when I arrived at 7:30. The sky
>above was nice and clear, and the well-defined top of the murk was just
>below us, but there was a classic, cold, steady Coe wind blowing. It felt
>like it wasn't just a late-afternoon wind, but a nice cold westerly. I sat
>in my car for a little while, ate the Taco Bell dinner I'd picked up at
>East Dunne Ave, and then bailed without even setting up.
>
>Had a nice sight of a razor-thin crescent moon as I started down the road
>from Coe. Listened to part of Timothy Ferris's "The Red Limit" on tape as I
>was driving home. Got home about 9:30. I set up the platform and scope
>outside my garage about 10. Mars boiled pretty good until about 11, when
>the seeing settled down a bit. I observed from about 10:30 until about
>12:30. I'd say the seeing varied from 3.5/5 to about 4/5. There were some
>pretty nice moments.
>
>I was quite surprised to see the lack of a marine layer over Palo Alto, but
>I wasn't complaining. Looks like some marine layer clouds were starting to
>form up as I was breaking down.
>
>At the beginning of the session, Sinus Meridiani was going out of view.
>Mare Erythraeum was fairly well defined, as were Solis Lacus and Tithonium
>Lacus. Mare Acidalium was visible on the northern limb. Mare Sirenum
>started to come into view around the eastern limb late in the session.
>Couldn't quite make out Phoenicis Lacus or Noctis Lacus. Searched in vain
>for Nix Olympica (or orographic clouds thereupon), but no dice. Also, I
>couldn't quite make out the Argyre basin. Several times I though I was
>seeing some whitening of the NNW limb area, as though there was a "north
>polar hood" of white cloud, but I suspect that it was just an atmospheric
>dispersion effect. The Wratten #21 filter was useful, although I found that
>I liked the natural appearance of the disc best.
>
>Glad that I got some Mars observing after getting winded out of Coe. I hope
>that the folks at the Peak had a good evening.
>
>--- Marek Cichanski
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