Mars and the Moon

28 November 2020, 19:00 – 20:00

Conditions: Quite cold (as you’d expect for the time of the year). Light film of condensation on the telescope.

Seeing: Good / excellent

Transparency: N/A


My run of good luck with the weather had to come to an end eventually, and so it proved with the months of October and November being pretty much a wash-out as far as deep-sky observing was concerned. The few windows of clear sky I did get were devoted to observing and imaging Mars, and fortunately I able to get just enough data to assemble a crude albedo map.

Tonight however was all about observing, with the seeing remaining unusually steady for once.


Mars: Good views at all magnifications from 171x up to 428x. Gibbous phase starting to become more obvious now. SPC tiny, but still bright. The albedo features were of much lower contrast than previous viewings, even with the Baader CB filter in place; but I was looking at the Tharsis / Solis Lacus region – the site of a recent major dust storm. There was a large – and prominent – bright yellowish haze near the limb (over Argyre?), plus a less obvious fainter haze further north.


The Moon: Nearly full, very bright. Viewed at 171x and 428x (with the Baader ND filter). As usual, the amount of detail on view was almost overwhelming, particularly at the higher magnification, but a few observations worthy of mention include:

At least three Plato craterlets “twinkling” in and out of view when the seeing allowed.

Mons Rümker region near the terminator, just a few days before the Chang’e 5 mission landed to collect samples.

Rimae Sirsalis showing particularly well (at 428x it looked more like a canyon than a rille).

Mare Humboldtianum visible close to the northern limb (the best view I’ve had of this elusive libration feature).


Nature note:
Tonight's soundtrack: The gentle “tseep” of winter thrushes passing overhead, and the not so gentle clattering of a fox jumping over the fence into the garden. Its eyes lit up when I shone the torch at it, but it didn’t leave until I cleared my throat.