skeptomai

Table Mtn, Mars, etc.

Todd and I went to Table Mountain Weds. night to see Mars and whatever else wasn't washed out by the near-full moon. We had a great time and the weather was at least 20 (if not 30) degrees F. warmer than last year. The full moon did take its toll however. We goofed around quite a bit looking at Mars through various filters attempting to get some feature contrast out of it. We convinced ourselves of seeing dark bands comprised of the combination of Mare Erythraeum, Solus Lacus, Mare Acidalium, and Mare Sirenum. There was an older couple there as well, who were newcomers to astronomy. They were primarily birders and had a very small scope. Imagine their surprise at the view through our 8" telescopes. Todd and I taught them some of the simple constellations and where to expect to see planets and the Perseid shower. As a special treat, they got to see Mars through both scopes, Andromeda Galaxy through mine, and both Neptune & Uranus and a double cluster through Todd's. The only downside was the Moon's incredible light washed out any chance of seeing things like the Dumbbell Nebula or the Whirlpool Galaxy. We are considering a trip at the next new moon to get some deep-sky object viewing in.