Mars

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Greatest courtesy of Steve Reid
 

Mars is unspectacular for most of the time but when it reaches opposition, especially a favourable one, it is well worth seeing in small telescopes. It never shows more than a disc in binoculars. When it reaches an apparent size of 10 arcseconds it is possible to see detail on the planet with medium and large amateur telescopes.
 
 
Name Mars
Maximum Magnitude -2.9
Minimum Magnitude +1.6
Solar "year" - time to circle the sun 687 days
Sydonic period - time to return to the same place in the sky relative to the sun 780 days
Maximum Elongation from the Sun 180 degrees
Maximum Apparent Size 25 arcseconds
Minimum Apparent Size 4 arcseconds
Distance from Sun 142 million miles
Minimum Distance from Earth 34 million miles
Maximum Distance from Earth 235 million miles
Best view in 50mm binoculars Disc only, no detail
Best view in 60mm refractor Polar ice caps only near a favourable opposition. Red and grey/green areas
Best view in 127mm Maksutov Polar ice caps when the apparent size exceeds 10 arcseconds. Quite spectacular near opposition with "canals" visible on a good night
 

Viewing Tips

The first rule for observing Mars is that there are no rules. Each observing session is different, even if the viewing conditions are apparently the same. If you are used to viewing the moon, Jupiter and Saturn, you will find Mars more of a challenge. The larger and better optical design of your telescope, the better but when near opposition and when its angular size exceeds 10 arcseconds, you can see some dark regions amongst the red/orange background. I've seen this using a 60mm refractor at 96x magnification and don't think you'll see much in any telescope using a magnification much less than this. Some nights, you can increase the magnification and just get a blurred image or see nothing that you didn't see at a lower magnification. Sometimes you can crank the magnification right up to see more detail. Against all "expert" advice, I've even used 240x with a 60mm refractor.

With my Maksutov, I've been amazed.

You can't predict or determine whether any one night will support high magnification but the elevation of Mars above the horizon is a key factor. I've even seen "canals" (dark regions running around the planetary surface).

More Information about Mars

NASA Exploration of Mars
Nine Planets Mars
Solar Views Mars
Mars Events

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