What’s Out Tonight?

We identify with Mars more than any other Planet because Mars might have had or still may harbor microbal life. In the first half of this century, the United States and other countries will deluge Mars with numerous exploratory vehicles and possibly a manned mission to answer this question. Additionally, Mars is the second most hospitable Planet in the Solar System — the only Planet that humankind might be able to colonize. It has an abundance of frozen water at its North Pole, a major element needed to sustain a colony. 

What happened to the canals? 
Mars never had any canals! During the late 1800s and early 1900s, several astronomers thought they saw a network of lines interlacing the surface of Mars, which became known as “canals.” Maps of the canals were even drawn and published. However, no evidence was ever found for them. They are believed to be honest mistakes—the result of active imaginations. None of the exploratory spacecraft sent to Mars have found anything that could even be misconstrued as canals. 

Major features on Mars 
Mars has several unique features with the most notable shown in pictures to the right. Of special note to the observer are its poles, surface coloration and clouds. The light and dark surface colorations are caused by a color difference between sand and rock. 

Identifying Mars 
Mars is easy to find in the sky near opposition (this is when it is closest to the Earth and it is also the time when Mars is rising in the east as the Sun is setting in the west) because it is bright and “red” in color, shining steadily around magnitude –2. When Mars is not at opposition, its magnitude and conspicuousness fade to +2, making it easy to miss. 

Observing Mars 
Mars is small, so it is best observed around opposition when it is closest to the Earth and appears its largest. Oppositions with Mars occur about every 26 months, however, some oppositions bring us much closer to Mars than others because of the elliptical shape of orbits. The distance between Earth and Mars at opposition can vary from 35,000,000 to 63,000,000 miles. This difference effectively doubles the size of Mars in a telescope. Unfortunately, the next opposition that makes Mars a reasonable size does not occur until 2025. (2035 will be GREAT) Although the polar caps and surface coloration can be seen in small telescopes (4-inch to 6-inch), they can be subtle, especially the surface coloration. For this reason, Mars is often disappointing to first-time observers who just take a glimpse at the planet. So, here are some suggestion to help maximize your viewing of Mars’ surface features. 

1. Try to observe Mars often from one month before to one month after opposition. Repetitive viewing will increase your familiarity with this Planet and increase your chance of observing on a good night. Additionally, you will be able to see the different sides and all of the surface markings on Mars if you observe over a period of time. 

2. Use a minimum magnification of 100x, but 200x to 300x is preferable. Achieving higher magnifications is dependent on your telescope and atmospheric conditions. 

3. Observe Mars when it is highest in the sky in order to minimize atmospheric disturbance. This will occur around midnight during opposition. It is more difficult to see the surface markings when Mars is low in the sky, about 30° or lower. The worst part about observing later is staying up or waking up. But, it is worth it if you are into astronomy. Mars is only at opposition every couple of years. 

4. When you are looking at Mars through a telescope, you will notice that there are split-second moments when the view of the surface appears clear. It is during these moments of clarity that the best glimpses will occur. It is a rare night when you can look directly at Mars and plainly see the subtleties of the surface markings for an extended period of time. 

5. Several months preceding opposition, the popular monthly astronomy magazines and astronomy internet sites usually carry in-depth articles on Mars which should prove helpful. Often, they include maps of the surface markings and charts to calculate the side of Mars that will be facing toward Earth when you observe. 

6. If you follow the suggestions above and still cannot see surface markings, here are some possible reasons why. a) Wind storms on Mars could be kicking up dust and obliterating the surface markings. Search the internet to check on Mars’ weather. b) Your telescope optics may not be properly aligned. If you can align the optics yourself, usually for newtonian Reflectors, ask an astronomy club member or a telescope store to check out your telescope. c) The turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere may be affecting telescope image quality, so keep trying. d) Finally, remember that if you take your telescope from the warm interior of your home to the cold outside, it will take up to an hour for the telescope optics to cool and settle down. The image of Mars during this time will be blurry. Keep your telescope outside or in an unheated space an hour or so before observing.

Moon of Mars.  Phobos, left, is 17x13 miles in size and orbits Mars every 7.7 hours at a distance of 5,380 miles. Deimos, right, is 10x8 miles in size and orbits Mars every 1.3 days at a distance of 14,580 miles.