apparent size: 4 to 25 seconds
apparent magnitude: -1.6 to +1.8
Mars
Mars is the first exterior planet -- opposition can bring it within only 56 million km from earth, about every 780 days (combined revolutions of both planets)... 25 seconds apparent size (instead of 4 seconds), magnitude -1.6 instead of +1.8.
Next oppositions:
68.2
While a small telescope will show some detail, really need a 6 to 8 inch (150
- 200 mm) or better to see much... Mars' two moons (Phobos and Deimos) require
at least a 6 inch telescope.
Mars through a small telescope (6 inch reflector):
apparent size: 4 to 25 seconds
apparent magnitude: -1.6 to +1.8
Mars through a large telescope:
Valles Marineris hemisphere of Mars
click on the image for a full screen view
This image is a mosaic of the Valles Marineris [VAL-less mar-uh-NAIR-iss] hemisphere of Mars. It is a view similar to that which one would see from a spacecraft. The center of the scene shows the entire Valles Marineris canyon system, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) long and up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep, extending from Noctis Labyrinthus, the arcuate system of graben to the west, to the chaotic terrain to the east. Many huge ancient river channels begin from the chaotic terrain and north-central canyons and run north. Many of the channels flowed into a basin called Acidalia Planitia, which is the dark area in the extreme north of this picture. The three Tharsis volcanoes (dark red spots), each about 25 kilometers (16 miles) high, are visible to the west. Very ancient terrain covered by many impact craters lies to the south of Valles Marineris.
Mars as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope:
Topography Map of Mars
scale is km above / below "zero reference datum" (not "sea level")
This image is a newly released topographic map of Mars. The full range of topography on Mars is about 19 miles (30 kilometers), one and a half times the range of elevations found on Earth, The most curious aspect of the map is the striking difference between the planet's low, smooth Northern Hemisphere and the heavily cratered Southern Hemisphere," which sits, on average, about three miles (five kilometers) higher than the north. (Courtesy GSFC/NASA)
Animation of the topography of Mars (video)
This rotating animation shows the distribution of topography on Mars. The colors blend smoothly from the lowest point (black) to highest point (white), with a full spectrum in-between: purple is low and red high. The movie shows the trimodal height distribution of the northern plains, southern highlands, and Tharsis bulge.
See if you can identify the major features, shown on the video, on the topographic map of Mars (above)
Flight Over Valles Marineris and Tharsis Montes (really neat
video)
This animation was taken from the NASA movie Mars the Movie (CMP 276). The video clip was digitized by Calvin J. Hamilton.
Animation of the Martian poles
(video)
This is a short animation of the Martian polar cap. The video clip was digitized by Calvin J. Hamilton.
Phobos
This high-resolution mosaic of Phobos was created from three Viking orbiter images. The striking feature in this image is the giant Stickney crater. Grooved fractures caused from the impact that created Stickney extend away from the crater. This image is Copyright © 1997-2000 by Calvin J. Hamilton. Any commercial/for-profit use of this image needs to be addressed to Calvin J. Hamilton.
Deimos
Measuring 16 by 12 km (10 by 7.5 mi) Deimos circles Mars every 30 hours. Craters of varying age dot its surface, which is somewhat smoother than the surface of Phobos.
Written by Stephen R. Kessell
Updated 27 January, 2001
