Director's
Notices and Some
in 2005
1.
#01 (24 July
GMT, Façade
News C)
2.
#02 (04 August
GMT, email
to David MOORE)
3.
#03 (16 October
GMT, email
to Christophe PELLIER)
4.
#04 (18 October
GMT, CMO
Notice #1)
5.
#05 (22 October
GMT, CMO
Notice #2)
6.
#06 (07
November GMT, Façade News F)
7.
#07 (01 December
GMT, CMO
Notice #3)
#01
Noachis at
λ=250°Ls
The areocentric longitude of the Sun λ=250°Ls is memorial
since the great Noachis dust storm in 1956 was onset just at this season. This year
250°Ls visited on 16 July and Noachis began to face toward us from around 19
July (λ=252°Ls). So at the Fukui City Observatory, NAKAJIMA and MINAMI
have been on the alert from around 2 o'clock AM local time (17:00 GMT) every
night to catch a lull (still rainy season here). As far as they watched
visually the surface extensively around from ω=330°W~340°W on 19 July, 20
July, 21 July and 24 July (this morning), no dust disturbance has been detected
over Noachis (unfortunately on 22 and 23 July the planet did not appear here,
while we have just received good images made on 22
July from Yukio MORITA). M Serpentis has remained the same, wide and darkened.
Furthermore no dust disturbance has been there around the western neighbourhood
of Hellas:
(Mn: 24 July at 22 hrs GMT)
#02
From:
"Masatsugu MINAMI"
To: David MOORE
Cc: <cmo@mars.dti.ne.jp>
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 04:34:20 +0900
Subject: RE:Mars -
Dear
Dave,
It
is our great pleasure to begin to receive your observations after a while. We
hope you will be more successful this apparition.
We
congratulate you on your clear detection of the roll cloud over Arsia Mons on 4
August (λ=263°Ls) at ω: ω=120°W
and 127°W. As far as we know, it was observed recently by Damian
Peach on 22
July (λ=254°Ls) and by Don Parker on 29
July (λ=259°Ls). The cloud on Peach's B image on the Gallery is obscure but he has
another clear one. Anyway it must have been subtle yet. As Don says in his case
also it must have been hard to see it visually through Wr47.
Since
Arsia Mons is located at Ω=120°W, and at present the
phase angle (we denote it by ι) is 47°
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmomn2/2005Coming_10.htm
the summit on your cases at ω=120°W
and at ω=127°W as situated about respectively 47° and (47-7)° before the
terminator. In other words it was about 47/15=2:45 to 40/15=3:10 hours before
the sundown. So quite orographics.
The
trend of the rise and fall of the Arsia cloud is quite different from the
Olympus cloud (which will never be seen this apparition before opposition) and
especially the strength of the Arsia cloud is variable (or tend to fluctuate)
even when it is believed to be active (the Olympus case is more distinct,
always active when it is in the active period). So every observation of Arsia
Mons is valuable. Thus your image on 4 Aug is very precious.
As
another case at 275°Ls in 1988, we cited a Japanese observation in
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmomn0/281OAA/index.htm
(where Olympus Mons was lit - because of the opposition
effect - since the phase angle was quite small: ι=8°.)
For
your information, I shall cite some passages from my email sent recently to
Damian Peach.
>There are known several differences between the
>cloud: 1) The
>the Arsia cloud looks to survive all seasons as Don exactly noted. 2)
The
>peak of the
>peak of the Arsia cloud comes after λ=150°Ls. 3) Furthermore, the
>cloud rather constantly active when it is active, but in the case of
the
>Arsia cloud the activity is quite fluctuated if we look at the data
obtained
>by the MGS-MOC; that implies sometimes the cloud happens to be
inactive even
>when the season is supposed to be the most active period around λ=150°Ls.
>So the activity of the Arsia Mons should be told
"statistically", and so we
>need many more data.
>
>The difference of period of the Arsia cloud from the
>(concerning 2))
is reasoned: because the water vapour immigration from the
>northern to the southern hemisphere occurs from λ=150°Ls to
230°Ls (while
>the water vapour supply to Olympus Mons from the north polar cap
ceases from
>around the period the npc attains minimal).
As to the fluctuation (3)) of the
>activity, as I suppose it may be because of the complex topography
around
>Arsia Mons, and in reality the shape of the Arsia cloud appears
deformed in
>different time in a complex manner.
>
>The statistics of the cloud activity of Tharsis Montes and others from
15
>March 1999 to 31 July 2001 was given by J L Benton and others in Icarus 165
>(2003) 34-52 (*) in
which activity of the Arsia cloud in 1999 is shown to
>statistically decrease from around λ=180°Ls and the graph suggests the
>minimum to occur around λ=250°Ls. However in the 1999 case, the Arsia
>cloud became inactive at around λ=230°Ls. Benton and others reasoned
>its inactivity (at λ=227 -235°Ls) was because of the cross-equatorial dust storm
>pinned down by B A Cantor and others (**) at λ=226-227°Ls. (Here a total of 783
>dust storms are listed from λ=107°Ls to 274°Ls). It might have been
>so, but as far as I look, its decreasing curve looks different from
the
>sudden inactivity occurred when the 2001 global dust storm reached
there. In
>1999 the decreasing is gradual much before the advent of the dust at λ=226°Ls
>and it can be supposed its minimum comes along sooner or later at
around λ=250°Ls
>(or before). In the
case of 1999, there seems to have arisen a rather
>sudden wider cloud at λ=245°Ls and then became inactive again and finally
>restarted at around λ=260°Ls to rise. The second peak came at around λ=290 – 325°Ls.
...............
>As to the 2003 case before opposition I have an intension to
scrutinise the
>rise and fall of the Arsia cloud from the CMO gallery images someday,
though
>I am sure the result cannot be complete. As far as I just looked,
there seems
>to exist a few images (by Pellier and Valimberti and others) which show a
>minimal cloud at Arsia at around λ=230 -237°Ls near the terminator in
2003.
As
you know, the 2003 Mars was at opposition at around λ=250°Ls, and so it became difficult to
watch the evening Arsia
Thank
you very much for your calling attention to the Arsia cloud on your images, and
we look forward to your further work,
With
best wishes,
Masatsugu
> (*) The seasonal behaviour of water
ice clouds in the Tharsis and Valles Marineris regions of Mars: Mars Orbiter
Camera Observations, Icarus 165 (2003) 34-52.
>(**) Martian
dust storm: 1999 Mars Orbiter Camera Observations,
JGR
106 (2001) 23653-23687.
>
#03
To:Christophe PELLIER
Cc: M Murakami, T Asada
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005
16:12:39 +0900
Subject: RE:Mars on october 15th
Dear
Christophe,
I
was very pleased to hear from you about your
first detection of a dust disturbance at Eos. Especially I like it because
it was found in the morning (my theory is that any dust at the first stage
should be onset in the morning or at dawn, and rebuilt next morning).
I
am here at Mt Hamilton near
This
kind of dust disturbance makes a quantum
jump on the following day, sometime appearing weaker or making a burst in a
different place. Anyway I hope this event will continue for more than a
fortnight. We are here watching the area of Solis L at present, and though I
shall return home on 25 October, but then the area of Solis L must again be
facing to
Good
luck for you (already), and good sky for me
(tomorrow).
With
best wishes,
Masatsugu
PS:
The deserts of the planet Mars appears really "ruddy" to me through the 20cm refractor. I am so also
concerned with the colour shown up by the Lick refractor here. And we should
add there is a culture difference between you and me. We Japanese don't
understand why the tawny orange is
regarded as "orange"
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmomn2/Cahier01.htm
Another
thing: what I said about Jeff Beish's statement was
this: I did never think any dust was aloft in Hellas when
#04
Date:
From: "Masami MURAKAMI" <cmo@mars.dti.ne.jp>
To: "MINAMI, Masatsugu" <VZV03210@nifty.com>
Subject: Dust storm at the southern Chryse
(This was sent to the CMO
members via BCc)
Dear Mars Colleagues,
Masami
and I (CMO) received an email from Silvia KOWOLLIK, Germany, at 1:55 GMT on 18
October (today) informing lively that the area of Chryse was unusual and looked
roundish bright at ω=355°W, and subsequently she sent us a
raw image taken at just before 3h GMT.
Meanwhile Joel WARREN dispatched an image taken at 3:23 GMT. So the area of Chryse came to the American continents.
Since
I am staying here at the west coast (at Mt Hamilton), the planet was to be
caught after 5h GMT, while the sky condition was poor this evening, and so I
did not expected. However, though the seeing condition was terribly poor
(furthermore clouds passing), it was apparent, from the outset of the session
at 5:30 GMT (ω=048°), that the southern Chryse was dusty bright, really
looking roundish. I don't detail my observations here, but this is a real dust
storm: I observed then at ω=057°, 067°, 077°, 087° and 096°W until 8:50
GMT. The seeing gradually recovered but the area went to the terminator side.
After
staying inside the big dome for 3 hours, I came down to check the internet to
find the images made by Don PARKER who already took a good set of images
at 4:41 GMT (ω=034°W) and by Dr Clay at 5:01 (ω=041°W) to
7:02 (ω=070°W). We also received a final
version of the precious image by KOWOLLIK at 2:44
GMT (ω=008°W), which was already
uploaded in our CMO Gallery.
We
should add that today's dust storm if seen through naked eyes looked much
bigger and brighter, looked as if bounded by a shadowy roundish band,
apparently brighter than the following Ophir. Around
from ω=087°W, the eastern border became fainted and finally the dust
looked mingled with the evening white mist. The Lick refractor was used with
its OG stopped down to 50cm with a magnification of 500×. Bill SHHEHAN was not
here: I was helped by Rem STONE and Tony MISCH.
At
present, GRAFTON's image at 6:42 GMT (ω=065°W) and GASKELL’s one at 4:41
GMT (ω=036°W) have been reported. (Should be added PHILLIPS’s at 07:00
(ω=070°W).)
I
think this is a rare case in that the onset dust was chased from an early
moment (KOWOLLIK) and to the evening. This dust was of course was related with
the precursor found by Ch PELLIER on 13/14
October. The off-again on-again series of the dust disturbances
are not rare: For instance in the case of December 2003 dust storm, it repeated
first an on-but-off-again jumps even before 12 December as shown by TES.
Anyway
it was gone, and may be subsided at night, but tomorrow it will make a quantum
jump.
With
best wishes,
Masatsugu
MINAMI (CMO/OAA) at Mt Hamilton
#05
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005
23:13:03 +0900
From: "Masami
MURAKAMI" <cmo@mars.dti.ne.jp>
To: "MINAMI,
Masatsugu" <VZV03210@nifty.com>
Subject: Dust Strom at
Solis L (CMO Notice #2)
(Sent to the CMO members based on our mailing list by BCc)
Dear Colleagues,
There is a possibility that a great
dust storm may be onset from the Solis L area.
Last night (21 October GMT), as we
first observed (here at Mt Hamilton), the Chryse area, which was brilliant with
the dust on 18 October, looked recovered since it showed a usual reddish colour
and the similar bright dust patch was no more than a roundish one found at an
area following Argyre. Just it was quite natural the dust trend moved
southward. The south circumpolar region however was wine-coloured and so looked
dust free yet. However as the area of Solis L came into the inside, we saw the
situation was not so simple since a brilliant core was observed on the eastern
part of Solis L, the place having a considerable slope: This reminded us of the
situation in 1973 and really in October
1973 nearly in the similar Martian season, a small core of
bright dust on Solis L developed gradually to a great dust storm. So the next
morning change of the dust core was interesting.
Tonight (22 October GMT), the area came
into sight around from 6h GMT, and the clear dust core area was looked larger
and showed a shape similar to the one we saw in 1973 in a developing stage. The
dust area on Solis L (almost covered except for the western outline) has still
a brilliant core at the lower part and so still energetic. The covering sands
of lower Thaumasia must have been blown up since M Erythræum
looked as if moved to westward. The eastern end of weaker dust covering was
seen up to 350°W in Noachis tonight. Observations were made by the use of the
36" Lick refractor (stopped down to 50cm) with magnification 500×, tutored
by Tony MISCH. Seeing was moderate.
The trend of the present Solis L dust
storm will be fixed within a few days: The area of Solis L begins now to come
into view from the hemisphere of Oceania-Asia, and if the case is similar to
the one in 1973, the following (westward) regions of Solis L are as well
important, and so we hope the observers are on the alert.
With best wishes
Masatsugu MINAMI at Mt Hamilton on 22
October at 10h GMT
CMO/OAA
#06
Yellow Planet again
at Opposition
Mars was closest to the Earth on 30 October, and today came at opposition.
Tomorrow De and Ds will coincide. Surface shines and especially the aureole of
Olympus Mons should be bright as usual because of nearly vanishing phase angle
(an opposition effect) and so on. However due to the preceding dust events, the
Martian atmosphere is full of airborne dusts and the general dark markings
appear to be rather dull (except for the IR eyes). We are now observing the
regions from Syrtis Mj to Solis L from
A small dust disturbance at Eos observed on 13/14 Oct (λ=306°Ls)
was latent for a while but made a one-day bright burst on 18 Oct
(λ=308°Ls) at the southern Chryse, and then jumped to the southern
hemisphere. The dust resonance onset on 21 Oct (λ=310°Ls) at Solis L was
strong and stayed there for four days and continued to make dusts aloft. On 25
Oct, a lower half of Solis L became visually visible, but this implied a lot of
dusts had been already brought into the high altitudes, and the dust effect
could be serious (since the disappearance does never imply any fallout at
present). At those times, Noachis was already quite dusty and the southern
Margaritifer S was faded. On 27 Oct Margaritifer S disappeared, and on 28 Oct
(λ=314°Ls) there occurred a considerable dust disturbance near
(Mn; on 7 November)
#07
Date: Thu,
From: "Masami
MURAKAMI" <cmo@mars.dti.ne.jp>
To: "MINAMI,
Masatsugu" <VZV03210@nifty.com>
Cc: "Masami
MURAKAMI" <GHE04141@nifty.com>
Subject: CMO Notice #3/2005
(Emailed to the CMO members via BCc by the use
of the CMO emailing list)
Dear CMO Mars Colleagues
This is a note on recent Mars from
The aureole of Olympus Mons which was
shown up as an opposition effect was first checked explicitly in
http://www.damianpeach.com/images/mars/2005_11_03rgb.jpg
http://www.damianpeach.com/images/mars/2005_11_06rgb.jpg
On 6 November, it was first shot in the
Note that Olympus Mons is located 28°N,
while the slope of the flank has an angle of 20 to 30°, and so the area looks
as if located more southward near the angle (DS +DE) /2. At opposition the surface is as if in a full-moon state, and the
high albedo areas increased their brightness by some
dozens per cent and so this difference of angles enhances the particular areas
(originally the "opposition effect" was used to denote the
brightening of the high albedo areas seen through the
shorter wave lengths. Nowadays, the presence of the blue haze is regarded as
dubious.) In 2003, (DS +DE)/2 was more southward about by 6°, and hence it was possible that the
Olympus-Mons aureole was less bright in 2003 than this year if the airborne
dust condition was the same at opposition.
There was few possibility that such a
large diurnal brightening was caused by the so-called orographic
cloud (as to another few possibility see below). The fact that any B ccd image showed a large roundish spot (that is, there was
witnessed no irregularity of the shape common to the roll clouds) must have
just implied that it was mostly sensitive to the white light. In this sense B
390 combined with TP2415 must have been more discriminating. See an example in
1988 (its (DS +DE) /2 at opposition was similar to that in 2003):
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmomn0/281OAA/index.htm
The activity of discrete white cloud at
Olympus Mons was once reported by S A SMITH and B A SMITH: Diurnal and Seasonal Behavior of Discrete
White Clouds on Mars, Icarus 16 (1972) 509, based on the data from
1963 to 1971 of the New Mexico State University Observatory supplemented by the
data of the Lowell Observatory Planetary Data Center
(going back to 1924) and IAU Data Center at the Meudon Observatory. According to their results, the cloud
begins very faintly from around λ=325°Ls, and stays very weak from λ=000°Ls to about 050°Ls, and becomes very active around from λ=060°Ls. More recent result based on the
MGS images was published by J L BENTON and others: The seasonal behavior of water ice clouds in
the Tharsis and Valles Marineris
regions of Mars: Mars Orbiter Camera Observations,
Icarus 165 (2003)
34. According to their results, Olympus-Mons Cloud starts to rise from λ=350°Ls and increases steadily in size
from λ=050°Ls
to 085°Ls and shows a peak at around λ=120°Ls (data from June 200 to July 2001). However they seemed to identify
a smaller scale white matter than the Olympus-Mons aureole during a short
period around λ=325°Ls
(perhaps from the data at around March and April 2000, having an area of less
than a few hundred km squared). So this kind of white matter (maybe frozen)
must have possibly been mingled with the opposition effect this year also, but
apparently the scale is very different from the usual orographic
cloud (having usually an area of 5~800000 km squared). Note MGS's
data are limited to the swath at the 2 o'clock PM while SMITH-SMITH's are supposed to be diurnal.
The high-altitude atmospheric dust
scattered aloft by the several dust resonances observed from the end of October
to the beginning of November looks to have much subsided though still the dark
markings appear to be duller. However the airborne dust might have been used as
water cloud condensation nuclei, and so the watching of the water condensates
on the southern hemisphere will be next interesting:
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmomn2/2005Coming_14.htm
On the other hand, we should still be
cautious about the dust disturbances which may occur on the northern high
latitude areas eventually to cross the equator since the period B denoted in
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmomn2/2005Coming_9.htm
is still available (period B: λ=310 – 350°Ls). Incidentally just after the temporal onset of a dust streak
in Chryse found by WARREN and GRAFTON on 23 November (λ=329°Ls), the area around of Eos Chasma
appeared quite dusty light: See for example
http://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~cmo/cmons/2005/051126/SWk26Nov05.jpg
The area is going to face toward us,
and we hope the observers in the Oceania-Asian hemisphere to check the
aftermath. Unfortunately however in
With best wishes,
Masatsugu MINAMI
CMO/OAA
PS: We are sorry we are quite late in
editing up CMO #312 and #313 as well as #287.
