Solar & Planetary LtE Now for CMO/ISMO #90 (CMO #464)

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¤····Subject: From Bill Sheehan: obits and things

Received: 4 December 2017 at 04:37 JST

 

Dear Masatsugu,

  I assume, because I have not heard of you for a long time, that you must be quite ill.  However, I want not to bother you but to make you aware of some things going on.

   I am sending the copy of an obituary of my friend Richard Baum, who passed away on November 12 (same day as Percival Lowell 101 years before). This may be appropriate for the CMO.

   A book, with Dale Cruikshank, on Pluto will be published by U of Arizona Press. This also has chapters on Lowell and the Search for Planet X for which I wrote drafts that were published in the CMO.

   Finally, I am planning with Rem Stone, Tony Misch, and Laurie Hatch to observe again this coming summer on Mt. Hamilton, and would like to invite you, if you are well enough by then to join us, for the occasion.  We would not be bothered by an Englishman of poor manners as last time.

   All my good wishes,

   Bill

 

Bill SHEEHAN (Flagstaff, AZ)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars Dec 1, 2017

Received: 4 December 2017 at 09:00 JST

 

Hello,

Sending in the latest Mars observation.
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171201/TWl01Dec17.png

 

Tim WILSON (Jefferson City, MO)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Mars 01 December 2017 0242UT  IR

Received: 1 December 2017 at 23:29 JST

 

Dear Clyde

I agree you must have caught a dust streak as that is the only explanation, as Roger clearly writes. They were rather prominent in 2010, and there are also records in 2012 of less prominent ones. What appears to have been another such promising event in 2014 March to May turns out upon closer inspection to have been a small rift cutting off an arc of the cap, the western end of which is near longitude 340 and features on the polar map made by peach for April 2014. Lo res images of it give the impression of dust spread over the cap but if you look only at the sharpest ones it is clearly a rift. Given the improvement in resolution over the previous comparable 1999 opposition we must be careful not to label a previously unresolved seasonal detail as being a transient event! I think mars is still too small for you to have clearly caught
Olympia and the Rima borealis, although they must have appeared by this time. And another feature which at first sight looks like a dust storm is a little orange patch at the mouth of Chasma Boreale. But better images over more than one opposition show it to be a permanent feature. As it appears in only some images it is easy to mistake it for a transient dust storm.
A series of observations is often needed in interpretation. I am thinking of some marvellous images of the icy
Hellas in 2014 April which at first sight seemed to show fingers of white cloud escaping mostly from the NE side of the Hellas basin. But if one compares images over three months with April in the middle, these fingers of cloud do not move. They are ground frost!

One thing more about a Rima T, though. In 1980 when Rima Tenuis was reported, those reports lasted over at least three months, so if some could have been interpreted as a dust streak, not all of them could. It is also likely the observers were misled by viewing chasma boreale from the sinus sabaeus side, for it curves round to nearly meet the edge of the cap there. Lack of resolution and the human brain would do the rest by completing the rift. The other reason for writing this is that although there were sightings of the rift from the sabaeus end, there was but one drawing or photo that showed a mere indentation in the outline of the cap at the opposite side. As I pointed out at the time, you cannot have a rift bisecting the cap if it does not come out the other side! But I am certainly now coming to the view that certain past observations can be explained as dust streaks rather than observer error.

I have now nearly completed the 2014 report which will feature a lot of your work, and reports for 2010 and 2012 now wait for space in the Journal.

Good wishes and keep up the good work,

 

Richard McKIM (Peterborough, The UK)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Mars 01 December 2017 0242UT  IR

Received: 1 December 2017 at 23:29 JST

 

By the way, your image is with CM about 180 degrees from Sanchez's excellent image of such a streak at Ls 89 on 2010 Feb 2. It appears that you've imaged the cap-crossing streak from the opposite side of the planet! It appears that the streak does have a favored orientation across the cap.

-- Roger

 

Roger VENABLE (Chester, GA )

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Mars 01 December 2017 0242UT  IR

Received: 1 December 2017 at 23:21 JST

 

Clyde

At Ls 95 of this date, Mars may show linear dust streaks across the NPC. These were particularly prominent and well imaged in 2010, when Mars was near opposition at a similar Ls. So, I suspect that you've picked up a dust streak. Good job!

 

It is now thought that the Rima Tenuis seen in some apparitions was due to dust streaks in the NPC at about this Ls. This feature has not been detected in many apparitions, so it seems likely that it doesn't occur at all in most apparitions. However, we observe Mars to figure out things like this.

-- Roger

 

Roger VENABLE (Chester, GA )

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 01 December 2017 0242UT  IR

Received: 1 December 2017 at 21:53 JST

 

Hi all,

An IR capture from this morning taken through incoming cloud, and in poor seeing, which cut the session short.

Elysium is central, surrounded by a number of dark markings including Propontis I, Trivium Charontis and Cerberus.

I am not 100% sure, but the bright spot appears to be closer to Albor Tholus than Elysium Mons.

M Cimmerium towards the top and there also appears to be some structure to the NPC.

The NPC outlier would be expected to show a horizontal gap, rather than the vertical gap observed. Any comments welcome

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171201/CFs01Dec17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: richard baum obituary--final

Received: 30 November 2017 at 02:22 JST

 

Hi all,

  Richard’s funeral is tomorrow; I thought that I would send the final version of the obit/memoir I wrote for this dear friend to so many of us in the amateur astronomy world.  He will be greatly missed.

   Best,

 

Bill SHEEHAN (Flagstaff, AZ)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 29 November 2017 0302UT RGB and IR

Received: 29 November 2017 at 16:30 JST

 

Hi all,

RGB and IR of Mars from this morning.

Elysium again prominent.

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171129/CFs29Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 2017/11/27-Kumamori

Received: 28 November 2017 at 18:36 JST

 

Mars images on 27 November 2017.

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171127/Km27Nov17.png

 

Teruaki KUMAMORI (Osaka, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: memoir richard baum

Received: 28 November 2017 at 01:52 JST

 

Dear friends and colleagues, 

  As many of you know, Richard Baum, a noted amateur astronomer and historian, passed away on Sunday November 12.  The funeral is Thursday in Chester.

  I had a few days off this past week and wrote the memoir attached.  Eventually it is going to appear, though in shortened form, in the SHA Bulletin and JALPO; however, the entire piece—illustrated—will be attached as a pdf in the event anyone wants to read it.

   If you have any corrections or additions, please let me know and I can make them prior to its going into publication.

   Best,

 

Bill SHEEHAN (Flagstaff, AZ)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 27 November 2017 0252UT RGB and IR

Received: 27 November 2017 at 13:41 JST

 

Hi all,

RGB and IR of Mars from this morning.

Elysium again prominent.

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171127/CFs27Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars Nov 26

Received: 27 November 2017 at 10:40 JST

 

Greetings,
I am sending in my first Mars images of the current season.

Sorry but I am using my smaller telescope (203mm).

Seeing was average this morning.  I did not notice anything unusual on the disk.

Thank You

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171126/TWl26Nov17.png

 

Tim WILSON (Jefferson City, MO)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 26 November 2017 0244UT RGB and IR

Received: 26 November 2017 at 20:13 JST

 

Hi all,

We have been having turbulent weather, so I wasn’t too hopeful this morning when I got a clear gap, but did think that I detected some detail on screen, so decided to try my first RGB imaging of the apparition. 2 sets of RGB’s and I selected the best for combining. It is my intent to run “true” RGB’s throughout the apparition.

 

It was nice to see a rather colourful Mars start appearing as I worked through the processing. A nice surprise at this size(4.2”)

 

A rather brilliant white Hellas on the upper following limb and there also appears to be cloud over Elysium on the preceding limb.  The NPC is a bit dull by comparison.

 

There is a hint of the Hesperia gap between M Tyrrhenum and M Cimmerium.

 

This first RGB set has certainly got my excitement going with what is to come…..

 

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171126/CFs26Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Cassini's Farewell to Saturn

Received: 22 November 2017 at 04:14 JST

 

November 21, 2017

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

 

For 37 years, Voyager 1's last view of Saturn

(http://bit.ly/2iCfn1M<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2iCfn1M&h=ATP5g8PCLBxhQMyVtpTq29EIVrE3Q2Gi7xDiDxF4PCo5ZFvR0XhhVCDa8u-eGcyjNdjuG1Ksv5-x4gM8TgbyEsfB5ZwoK3HVkxYxA1sYEpaxrQN52F8UE8OyzMgpov0dDVBLOIR5cViu0MaY6DyCpm7wG_8xdrTdyankWcd65AX0qSBhphMSJb3jjexJgwJDv0W2pU7s6cysDEtekomuUq7u1Je6u2gHMIgV2bseRbUM2z2FgdkxpHKDyqdVIzd5ez1QoBTs8NuNiI2YVTQCIEXKJUEKi30iANw0dg-r>)
has been, for me, one of the most evocative images ever taken in the exploration of our solar system. I recall sitting alone in a room at JPL in November 1980, after the first Voyager Saturn flyby was over and everyone else had gone home, and gazing at the monitor in the upper corner of the room. There on the screen was the view of Saturn seen from Voyager as it receded from the planet, on its way out of the solar system and eventually into interstellar space.

 

And as I sat there, almost in a trance, I reflected on the significance of our encounter with this world and what had just happened ... to our species and to me personally. I had just been swept up in the greatest and most meaningful adventure humankind had ever undertaken, and I knew I wanted to join those bold and daring individuals who were making it happen.

 

It was with that enchanting memory in mind that I, along with the members of the Cassini imaging team, have spent the last few years planning the Cassini equivalent of that special Voyager image ... a last, lingering look at Saturn and its rings during the final leg of Cassini's journey.

 

Today, we are releasing to the world Cassini's Farewell to Saturn.

 


 

http://ciclops.org/view_event/276/A-Farewell-to-Saturn
<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fciclops.org%2Fview_event%2F276%2FA-Farewell-to-Saturn&h=ATP2FI_Tq0C057hJvGewsbUg94WvQonuVDanAapyPNvv5cUCW95O53aRyR7ZU7M80J1icjZjIH2_7GY1obOkyVUuwpZ8pmSLS-aOXkP6nyb5gBS27QKcP2SMMxIgAa4i7d2j5J-7N5u7-5Ub6XfBjmNjmzSowcKXFPs6pIibU5csdU74R9YPBIuP3mKGLvBKg6jdK6pUWVrpmOlwP7R2DFEtykSx3ohUa0OfcxUQyufu0FF_ayVTcAoIDESs0mdM5OFIGCvFic1k3JoKNdcyF8dROJK1YrfejkFZ5XRn>

I hope this view will forevermore remind you of that wondrous time humankind spent in intimate study of our Sun's most iconic planetary system.

 

Enjoy,

 

Carolyn PORCO (Boulder, CO)

Cassini Imaging Team leader
Director, CICLOPS, Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO
Visiting Scholar, UC Berkeley, CA
Fellow, California Academy of Sciences
http://twitter.com/carolynporco
http://www.facebook.com/carolynporco
http://carolynporco.com

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 2017/11/20-Kumamori

Received: 21 November 2017 at 18:12 JST

 

Mars images on 20 November 2017.

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171120/Km20Nov17.png

 

Teruaki KUMAMORI (Osaka, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 21 November 2017 0247UT IR

Received: 21 November 2017 at 12:50 JST

 

Hi all,

Mars IR from this morning.

Syrtis Major and Sinus Sabeaus are fairly obvious, with a hint of Hellas and the NPC.

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171121/CFs21Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars AK16Nov2017

Received: 19 November 2017 at 23:34 JST

 

Mars image on 16 November 2017.

 


 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171116/Ak16Nov17.png

 

Tomio AKUTSU (Ibaraki, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 19 November 2017 0312UT IR

Received: 19 November 2017 at 14:35 JST

 

Hi all,

Mars IR this morning. Seeing conditions remain poor/challenging.

M Acidalium at lower right. Sinus Sabeaus and Sinus Meridiani towards the top, with Syrtis Major starting to come into view.

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171119/CFs19Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 2017/11/16-Kumamori

Received: 17 November 2017 at 15:04 JST

 

Mars images on 16 November 2017.

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171116/Km16Nov17.png

 

Teruaki KUMAMORI (Osaka, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 17 November 2017 0305UT IR

Received: 17 November 2017 at 12:53 JST

 

Hi all,

We have been subjected to a cut-off low pressure system over the country for most of the last week with a cold front just having moved through, and a Jetstream approaching 50m/s, so it doesn’t get much worse than that…..!

Attached is the best I could get this morning

Best regards, Clyde

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171117/CFs17Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Uranus images 13th november 2017

Received: 15 November 2017 at 05:52 JST

 

Hi all,
Here are some new Uranus images. I have still not been able to watch
Neptune with the new instrument...

As always, IR685 filter is giving more contrast, but less resolution, than RG610.

 


 

Best wishes,

 

Christophe PELLIER (Nantes, FRANCE)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 23:25 JST

 

Sad news that brought back a flood of memories, not all of them astronomical. As you know, Richard was a lad of 10 in the summer of 1940, when the threat of a German invasion of Britain was very real. His father was a constable. This tale of Richard's seems quintessentially British to a Yank...

 

In the wee hours of the morning during the late summer of 1940 Richard's father came home, woke the household, and announced that there was an invasion alert and reports [spurious] that German paratroops were landing. He asked Richard's mother to take the family to the greater safety of her sister's home in the country. Richard noticed that a holster containing a Webley revolver adorned his father's hip rather than the customary nightstick. He pointed to it with curiosity and his father removed it from the holster and handed it to Richard, eliciting a scream form Richard's mother. Richard's father then uttered: "Not to worry. They haven't issued us any bullets."

 

Tom DOBBINS (Howard,OH)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 19:53 JST

 

Dear Bill
very sad news. Such a loss for the community, such an impressive heritage left...

 

Paolo Tanga (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, FRANCE)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 17:54 JST

 

Thanks Bill,

So sad to learn of the loss of Richard, I too hoped to have had the opportunity to meet him but it  was not to be. I had been buying some of his research library and expected that one day our paths would cross as a result.

The two books I own that he wrote will now have a special place in my library. (The planets and also The haunted Observatory)

 

Brian SHEEN

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 15:21 JST

 

Thanks Bill for sharing the sad news,

I too greatly admired Richard. His passing is a great loss., and his kindness and enthusiasm will be missed.

 

Stephen O'MEARA 

https://stephenjamesomeara.weebly.com

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 13:15 JST

 

Thanks Bill for posting this...

 

  Richard Baum was our ALPO Mercury coordinator in the 1980s and 1990s. I started to correspond with him with my Mercury observations and shortly thereafter, I took over the section after another coordinator after Richard. He was very helpful to me and Richard looked over my Mercury papers many times before I sent them to the ALPO editors. Also, he admired my Venus work over the years especially the night side imaging. I have one of his book, 'The Haunted Observatory'.

 

  Richard Baum was the one person I really wanted to meet but unfortunately that never came true. He will be missed.

 

    Best,

 

Frank J MELILLO (Holtsville, NY)

  ALPO Mercury Coordiantor

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Re: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 11:33 JST

 

I am very sorry to hear that Bill. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him personally, we became rather good long distance friends thanks to email and other correspondence. He was a true scholar and gentleman of rare quality.

 

Klaus BRASCH

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Richard Baum

Received: 13 November 2017 at 09:39 JST

 

Just a brief note to say that our great friend and mentor Richard Baum passed  away this morning. 
  
Sent from my iPhone

 

Bill SHEEHAN (Flagstaff, AZ)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 2017/11/12-Kumamori

Received: 13 November 2017 at 17:27 JST

 

Mars image on 12 November 2017.

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171112/Km12Nov17.png

 

Teruaki KUMAMORI (Osaka, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Thank you note

Received: 13 November 2017 at 12:16 JST

 

I got the CMO issue and enjoyed it.

My computer and I myself are in a better condition.

Thanks a lot.

My best wishes.

 

Takashi NAKAJIMA (Fukui, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 10 November 2017 0325UT IR

Received: 10 November 2017 at 15:05 JST

 

Hi all,

Mars this morning. Windy conditions with the planet jumping around, and seeing was poor, but 4x60s derotation managed to pull a little bit of detail out. Some new settings that I tried in AS3! definitely seemed to help(thanks to Emil and Martin), but it will be nice to test further under better conditions.

M Acidalium and Niliacus L. coming into view with Nilokeras and Lunae Lacus central.

Towards the south, Aurorae Sinus and the Valles Marineris complex can be detected.

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171110/CFs10Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 2017/11/09-Kumamori

Received: 10 November 2017 at 13:55 JST

 

Mars image on 9 November 2017.

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171109/Km09Nov17.png

 

Teruaki KUMAMORI (Osaka, JAPAN)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 8 November 2017 0327UT IR

Received: 8 November 2017 at 13:20 JST

 

Hi all,

Mars IR this morning. Single 45s capture. Rather turbulent seeing.

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171108/CFs08Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)

 

 

 

¤····Subject: Mars 7 November 2017 0328UT IR

Received: 7 November 2017 at 14:14 JST

 

Hi all,

Mars has attained 4” this morning.

Another view of the Tharsis plateau, although the large volcanos are not evident yet.

Nerigos directly above the NPC.

Tanais extends off the Mare Acidalium, as does Nilokeras, extending towards Lunae Lacus.

Valles Marineris and Solus Lacus towards the top of the image.

I see that my old enemy, the edge artefact, is evident again, so I have some work ahead of me….

Best regards, Clyde

 

http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2018/171107/CFs07Nov17.png

 

Clyde FOSTER (Centurion, SOUTH AFRICA)


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