During this one month, the angular diameter δ augmented from 4.9" to 5.7". The central latitude φ moved from 10°N to 2°N. The phase angle ι increased from 31° to 36°. The apparent declination of the planet went down to -22°45' on 15 February.
The observations received this time are as follows:
FRASSATI, Mario (MFr) Crescentino, Italia
5 Sets of Drawings (18, 27 January; 1, 6, 8 February 2003) 250x 20cm SCT
ISHADOH, Hiroshi (Id) Naha, Okinawa, Japan
4 Drawings (30 January; 2, 13 February 2003) 400, 530x 31cm speculum
MINAMI, Masatsugu (Mn) Mikuni, Fukui, Japan
13 Drawings 16 Drawings (25 January; 6, 7, 13 February 2003)
400, 480x 20cm ED Goto refractor＊
MORITA, Yukio (Mo) Hatsuka-ichi, Hiroshima, Japan
6 Sets of CCD Images (16 January; 2, 6, 12 February 2003)
f/50 @ 25cm speculum equipped with an ST-5C
MURAKAMI, Masami (Mk) Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
12 Drawings (17, 21, 28 January; 6, 7, 12 February 2003) 320x 20cm speculum
NAKAJIMA, Takashi (Nj) Fukui, Fukui, Japan
2 Drawings (25 January 2003) 400, 480x 20cm ED Goto refractor＊
PEACH, Damian A (DPc) Tenerife, Canarias Is, España
2 Sets of CCD Images (28 January; 5 February 2003)
f/31 @ 28cm Celestron SCT with an ST-5C
＊Fukui City Observatory
We first review the observations by FRASSATI (MFr) and PEACH (DPc ) in Europe. On 18 January (when λ=125°Ls, δ=4.8"), MFr detected S Meridiani at ω=022°W while the area of Margaritifer S was vacant. A white cloud was seen preceding M Acidalium. On 27 January (λ=129°Ls) MFr took a drawing at ω=291°W, and on 28 January (λ=129°Ls) DPc took a ccd picture at ω=286°W. The former shows a dark Syrtis Mj with Hellas that was weak at Int 2~1. The latter also shows a dark and broad Syrtis Mj with weaker Hellas. Utopia is definite. On 1 February (λ=131°Ls) MFr watched at ω=237°W: Hellas turned to be very bright on the morning side at 0.5. Syrtis Mj was also caught near the morning limb. Gyndes and Utopia dark. On 5 February (λ=133°Ls), DPc produced a set of good images at ω=205°W where the Ætheria dark patch is quite large and its western side to the limb looks thickly misted. Elysium is quite light in IR. Since ι=34°, the noon line was at around 240°W so that the Ætheria patch should be at noon, and Elysium was on the afternoon side. On 6 February (λ=134°Ls), MFr observed at ω=188°W but did not show the thick morning mist. The noon line lied over Elysium. On 8 February (λ=135°Ls), MFr observed at ω=171°W where the north polar region (npr ) was not so bright (Int:1.5~1.8). MFr is using Wr#21.
In Japan, MORITA (Mo) produced a set of good images on 16 January (λ=124°Ls) at ω=249°W: Syrtis Mj appears definite in longer wavelengths (R and IR). Hellas is very bright in G and rather dull in B, while Elysium is clear in B near the terminator. Libya is clear in R. The Ætheria dark patch is definite. On 17 January (λ=124°Ls), MURAKAMI (Mk) observed from ω=222°W. He however didn't detect explicitly Syrtis Mj even at ω=241°W. On 21 January (λ=126°Ls), Mk observed at ω=190°W when the morning limb was covered by a bright mist (one rank lighter than the spr). On 25 January (λ=128°Ls), NAKAJIMA (Nj ) and MINAMI (Mn) at Fukui observed at ω=151°W~186°W: The spr was whitish bright, and Elysium was bright near the morning limb though not so white. A small white patch was seen at the terminator, maybe Olympus Mons. Cerberus and Phlegra looked shadowy. On 28 January (λ=130°Ls) Mk observed at ω=120°W where Solis L was vaguely shadowy, and M Sirenum was seen on the morning side. On 30 January (λ=130°Ls), ISHADOH (Id ) took a drawing at ω=125°W where M Sirenum was week. Rather he saw a shadowy band running from south to north near the CM. The morning limb was finely light. The npc might be checked. On 2 February (λ=132°Ls), Mo took ccd images at ω=079°W, and Id took a drawing at ω=096°W. The former isolated Solis L from Auroræ S, and Nilokeras was caught following the sinking M Acidalium. A morning mist is shown. The latter seems to show Solis L in the evening. The spr was not light. The morning limb to the npr looked light.
On 6 February (λ=134°Ls), it was fine at Yokohama, Hiroshima and Fukui and observations were consecutively made at as follows: ω=021°W (19:30GMT, Mk), 030°W (Mk), 037°W (Mo ), 040°W(Mk), 042°W (Mo ), 043°W (Mn), 047°W (Mo ), 050°W (Mk), 052°W (Mn), 062°W (22:20GMT, Mn). Mk already saw S Sabæus at ω=021°W, and Mo 's images also show it. Mn's and Mk's observations on the day showed that M Acidalium looked fainter than the dark markings on the southern hemisphere. The evening terminator at Chryse was light by Mk from ω=030°W, and whitish misty by Mn at ω=052°W and maybe the mist was over to M Acidalium. However on the longer wavelength R and IR images by Mo , M Acidalium is well dark. Mo 's B image at ω=049°W shows a white Chryse mist. The last set of images of Mo shows the coming of Solis L. The morning limb is pale whitish at ω=050°W of Mk. In naked eyes (Mk and Mn), the spr is whitish. On 7 February (λ=134°Ls), Mn and Mk observed at ω=013°W~052°W and at ω=033°W respectively. At Fukui, the seeing improved at ω=033°W, and S Meridiani was seen isolated. The spr was whitish (Mk and Mn). M Acidalium was weaker than the southern dark markings. Tempe light. The npr was light (Mk) and seen light also thru O56 (Mn). On 12 February (λ=137°Ls), Mk observed at ω=340°W and 349°W, and Mo at ω=350°W: Mk observed that the spr was light, but the seeing was so poor that S Sabæus was faint. The morning mist was whitish. Mo 's images show that Margaritifer S, separated from S Meridiani, looks dark. The spr is light. M Acidalium is coming faintly. On 13 February (λ=137°Ls), Mn at Fukui and Id at Okinawa observed successively at ω=318°W (Mn), 327°W (Mn), 337°W (Mn), 338°W (Id ), 347°W (Mn), and at 348°W (Id ): At ω=318°W, Syrtis Mj was dark and Hellas was white with a core in the evening and the following S Sabæus was also seen. At ω=337°W, Syrtis Mj became weaker, and M Acidalium was coming in. Id also saw S Sabæus. The spr was light (Id remarked it was rather gray and roundish). The npr was also light. Id saw a tip of the npc at ω=348°W and observed Margaritifer S was dark.