Telescope: Celestron C11 @ f/25, Orion Atlas EQ-G
Camera: ZWO ASI462MC, 2.5x Powermate
Filter: Meade IR cut filter
Seeing: fair, 3/5 with brief periods of 4/5
Exposure 5x(5min x 3ms, 25%), gain 300, saved as Raw8/SER
White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic
Software: SharpCap Pro, AutoStakkert, Registax, WinJUPOS, Nebulosity, Photoshop
We had a rare evening of good seeing and I hoped to take advantage of it to get a decent image of Mars while it was still relatively close to the Earth and I am very happy with the result. This image is from the last of 5 sets of images taken as Mars rose higher in the sky into clearer air and shortly before it reached the meridian. The northern limb shows the north polar hood and below that is the broad expanse of the Tharsis Plateau. The soft circular feature to the upper left of Tharsis is the giant shield volcanoe Olympus Mons. The dark feature covering the southern hemisphere includes, from left to right, Mare Sirenum, Aonius Sinus, Solis Lacus, Mare Erythraeum, and Aurae Sinus. Just to the right of center is the giant canyon system the Mariner Valley. To the upper right is Lunae Palus.
Recent Comments