Mars

Viewing Mars at its best still involves staying awake until the early hours of the morning; not always compatible with an early start for those of us who have to work for a living!


This is my first attempt at an image of the Red Planet this year. The disk is still just under 12 arcseconds in diameter so capturing any detail is a challenge with and f5 Newtonian, involving a 4x barlow and extension tubes. All said and done I'm quite happy with this image, the north polar cap being clearly visible and just the faintest hint of surface detail.