As the 20th Century is over and the 15 Years of the CMO has become something of the past, we have thus entered a new cycle. We hope to be given support to as ever.
The 2001 Mars now comes to the meridian at dawn, but apparently its altitude is already low; the apparent declinations was -14.5° on 15 January 2001, and it is uneasy to know that it will further go down by more than 10 degrees. Welcome are new participants.
This report deals with the period from
16 December 2000 (090°Ls) to 15 January 2001 (103°Ls),
during which the apparent diameter went up from 4.8 arcsecs to 5.7 arcsecs, the central latitude of Mars gradually changed from 21°N down to 16°N, and the phase angle increased from 30° to 35°. We suffer from dismal weathers in winter, but if the seeing is good, it is now possible to watch the planet from 4:30 local time.
We received the observation reports from the following ten observers while the angular diameter was still under 6 arcsecs.
CIDADÃO, António José (ACd) Oeiras, Portugal
1 Set of CCD Images (14 January 2001) 25cm SCT equipped with an ST-5C + AO
HERNANDEZ, Carlos E (CHr) Miami, FL, USA
1 Set of Drawings (12 January 2001) 290, 410x 20cm SCT
HIGA, Yasunobu (Hg) Naha, Okinawa, Japan
4 Video images (24, 28 December 2000; 1 January 2001)
25cm F6.7 spec equipped with Sony DCR-TR V900
ISHADOH, Hiroshi (Id) Naha, Okinawa, Japan
7 Drawings (18, 24 December 2000; 1, 2, 11 January 2001) 400, 530~31cm speculum
MINAMI, Masatsugu (Mn) Fukui, Japan
43 Drawings (16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 29 December 2000; 1, 6, 8 January 2001)
400,480,600x 20cm refractor*
MORITA, Yukio (Mo) Hatsuka-ichi, Hiroshima, Japan
24 Sets of CCD Images
(18, 22, 23, 25, 28 November; 1, 6, 8, 15, 17, 21, 22, 27, 29 December 2000; 10, 11 January 2001)
f/50 25cm speculum equipped with an ST-5C
NAKAJIMA, Takashi (Nj) Fukui, Japan
7 Drawings (19, 29 December 2000) 400,480x 20cm refractor*
PARKER, Donald C (DPk) Miami, FL, USA
2 Sets of CCD Images (28 December 2000)
f/55 41cm speculum equipped with a Lynxx PC
PEACH, Damian A (DPc) King's Lynn, Norfolk, UK
2 Drawings (22 December 2000; 13 January 2001) 410,590~31cm Meade SCT
WASIUTA, Myron E (MWs) VA, USA
2 Drawings (24, 26 December 2000) 360~31cm speculum
* Fukui City Observatory
16 December~22 December
On 16 Dec (090°Ls) and 17 Dec (091°Ls) the present writer (Mn) watched the Martian surfaces from LCM=344°W to 027°W: In the first half of the session, a misty evening Syrtis Mj was seen. S Sabæus was quite dark near the CM and M Acidalium was coming. The light morning mist over Chryse stayed long until Tharsis came in. The north polar cap (npc) was whitish obvious, while the southern limb (s limb) was just dull light ( LCM=027°W). Among the images by MORITA (Mo) on 17 Dec the one at LCM=358°W shows M Acidalium dark.
ISHADOH (Id ) also detected the dark M Acidalium on 18 Dec (091°Ls) at LCM=359°W, followed by the limb light haze.
On 19 Dec (091°Ls), NAKAJIMA (Nj) and Mn observed from LCM=334°W to LCM=003°W: S Sabæus was definite, and the s limb slightly whitish. The npc was evident. Chryse was morning white, and the long lying broad mist along the equatorial band became certainly to be seen at LCM=003°W.
Mn observed on 21 Dec (092°Ls) at LCM=295°W ~ LCM=344°W and on (093°L) at LCM=286°W ~ LCM=334°W: Used partially was O56. Syrtis Mj rotated from near the CM to the evening side. Hellas looked very bright, brighter than the nps though the latter was quite evident. At LCM=325°W Hellas diminished, while Syrtis Mj was still dark. Utopia was dark evident in the former half, and M Acidalium darker in the latter. S Sabæus was also evident.
On 21 Dec and 22 Dec, Mo took images: The evening Syrtis Mj was shot unstable, but the image at LCM=318°W on 22 Dec (093°Ls) shows it definitely. On the morning of 22 Dec (JST), the temperature at Fukui went down to 1°C.
PEACH, WASIUTA, PARKER and others during 22 December ~ 29 December
On the same day, 22 Dec (093°Ls), Damian PEACH (DPc) acquired his first drawing this season at 6:50 GMT, earlier than ours by 15 hours, at LCM=105°W where the area of Solis L was shadowy and Xanthe was light near the evening terminator. It seems he saw a light area to the north of Solis L. Used partially Wr21. The apparent diameter grew to 5.0".
On 24 Dec (094°Ls), Myron WASIUTA (MWs) made his first observation at 9:30 GMT: Since LCM=130°W, the markings were unfortunately scarce while the npc was seen. In Japan, HIGA (Hg) and Id observed at LCM=302°W and at LCM=303°W (21:49GMT) respectively: The planet Mars wavers in Hg's Video, but the colour appears good, and Syrtis Mj and Hellas as well as the npc are easily checked. Id especially drew his attention to the bright Hellas.
On 26 Dec (094°Ls), MWs detected the npc together with the dark surroundings at LCM=105°W.
On 27 Dec (095°Ls) Mo met a seeing so good that he obtained a sequence of good images at LCM=263°W, 268°W, 275°W and 280°W from 22:55 GMT: Every R shows almost all dark markings including Syrtis Mj. The B images are also better to show largely Hellas and a bit Elysium.
On 28 Dec (095°Ls), Don PARKER(DPk) shot at LCM=105°W (at 11:05GMT) and at LCM=114°W where the Xanthe-Tharsis area looks white strong: Other limb areas and the npc look blurred because of the B enhancement. On the same day, Hg used his Video camera at LCM=256°W; the colour is unbalanced because of the shot in the twilight.
On 29 Dec 2000 (096°Ls), Mo was again endowed with a favourable seeing and acquired the images at LCM=242°W, 247°W, and 252°W. The markings to the east of Syrtis Mj are dark definite in R, and M Cimmerium is separated well, and as well the Ætheria Dark patch is shot. Notable is that Cebrenia is an explicitly lighter belt in R at LCM=250°W. In B, Elysiun is visible near the evening terminator in addition to the obvious Hellas.
At Fukui we had a fine morning on the day, and Nj and Mn started from LCM=218°W at 19:10 GMT and observed eleven times until LCM=266°W (at 22:30GMT). The thermometer pointed to -1°C inside the dome. At the former session, the Gyndes band was seen well and at around LCM=247°W, Syrtis Mj came out from the morning-to-noon mist, and Hellas became prominent. At the final session, the planet was near the meridian, and the dark Syrtis Mj and the bright Hellas were definite in the twilight. Elysium was still seen and the npc was evident with the light morning mist. the central latitude of Mars was 19°N.
As the New Year came in
As the first year of the New Century came in, 1 January 2001(097°Ls) observations were made at LCM=196°W (by Mn), LCM=206°W (by Hg), LCM=218°W (by Id), LCM=220°W (by Hg) and LCM=231°W (by Id): Hg's images show the dark area of Utopia surrounding the npc, and Id pointed out that the brightness of Hellas became evident at LCM=231°W, but he reported that Elysium was not evident near the CM.
On 2 Jan (098°Ls), Id observed at LCM=216°W and LCM=226°W; in the former the evening terminator had a faint light patch, and in the latter Hellas came in.
On 6 Jan (099°Ls) Mn observed from LCM=155°W to 184°W; First Tharsis appeared compactly bright near the evening terminator, and at LCM=174°W several light and shade areas were visible. The npc looked very roundish.
On 8 Jan (100°Ls) Mn observed from LCM=116°W to LCM=164°W: At LCM=145°W, an evening cloud was seen at Alba while Tharsis was not so light. At the opposite side, a light patch at the SW limb. The npc was whitish evident, and Elysium was morning light.
On 11 Jan(102°Ls), Id took a drawing at LCM=131°W where the area of Solis L was shadowy and Xanthe was evening light.
On 10 Jan and 11Jan, Mo took several images, but no definite features are given due to the poor seeing.
HERNANDEZ, CIDADÃO
Carlos HERNANDEZ (CHr) at Miami produced a set of drawings on 12 Jan (102°Ls) at LCM=323°W: Syrtis Mj near the evening terminator as well as S Sabæus were well seen. It seems there is no comment about Hellas, but the s limb is stated to be light. M Acidalium was coming, and the B image by Wr47 & 64 shows a protrusion of the Chryse morning haze toward the preceding desert.
On 13 Jan (102°Ls), DPc obtained a good drawing at LCM=252°W in which Syrtis Mj occupied the main role, and Hellas was bright. The npc is shown to be surrounded by a dark band.
On 14 Jan (103°Ls), António CIDADÃO (ACd) in Portugal acquired a set of CCD images at LCM=246°W where the shape of Utopia is nicely shot. In B, the brightness of Hellas is explicitly shown. Syrtis Mj is outside the morning-to-noon mist. The RGB shows Elysium because of B in the evening. To show the cloud balance, the L-RGB image where L=R proves not appropriate.
Thus we traced the observations to the effect that the seasonal changes were undergoing normal within a gross scope of the present angular diameter.
After 15 years, two things have happened. One is that the we heard the Taipei Observatory was destroyed last year, and the other is that we had this month a heavy snowfall at Fukui similar in 1986. It is officially said the snow was 93cm deep this January, and the deepest we have had for 15 years.
Many received damages from the snowfall, and one night NAKAJIMA (Nj) was unfortunately confined in a stuck train for more than ten hours before digging the Observatory. Nj also remembers well the previous heavy snowfall in 1986, but MINAMI (Mn) does not perhaps because he was observing away at Otsu and going to Taipei. (On 31 December 1985 (104°Ls) Nj and Mn however made joint observations at the Fukui City Observatory by the use of the same 20cm refractor that we use now. The telescope replaced the old one in 1985 and so it was the first time for Mn to observe Mars by the new refractor.)
The year 1986 was fruitful to Mn as well as to the CMO despite the troubles in winter, and hence we hope the skies will be promising in the coming summer as well.
We hear MURAKAMI (Mk) already started his routine observations while his reports have not reached yet.