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New Dust Storm on Mars Viewable with Telescopes

Posted by Zonk on from the we'll-be-able-to-see-the-space-zombies-coming dept.

starexplorer writes "Space.com is reporting that a large dust storm has just began on Mars, just as the Red Planet has gotten in prime viewing location this weekend with a decent sized backyard telescope. An amazing stroke of luck for everyone this weekend! Three PDF Viewing Guides, movies and more available to help get you started."

5 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Viewable with My Telescope? by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've got a Meade 125-ETX, I wonder how visible this will be. The last time Mars was close and I lugged the scope out It was mostly a brown smudge.

    Mars will be 43,137,071 miles from Earth at around 11:25 p.m. ET Saturday.

    That's 13,803,862,720 rods for the anti-science crowd.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Viewable with My Telescope? by deathcow · · Score: 5, Informative

      With a Meade 125-ETX, assuming 1) the system is working well, and 2) you keep your diagonals and eyepieces clean, and 3) your atmospheric seeing conditions are OK, you should be able to observe the dust storm as a bright patch on the planet. You would be able to see the dark and light "albedo" regions of the planet and find the dust storm based on them.

      The features of Mars can be quite subtle. It will help if you are warm, sitting comfortably, and able to watch for a long enough period to experience good moments of atmospheric seeing.

      The more time you observe, the greater your chances of getting those unusual moments of clarity. Many, MANY people will spend about 5 minutes looking at Mars in variably moderate seeing and give up on it. This is not the way to see the most your telescope has to offer.

      Mike

  2. Mars Dust Bad! by deathcow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While this is exciting for amateur astronomers to see a process like this happening on Mars, it's also very forboding and ominous. Mars has a bad habit of becoming engulfed in planet wide dust storms which almost totally hide the surface features of the planet.

    I am sure many amateurs like myself would prefer NO dust storms on Mars while it is so close to the Earth, and so favorably positioned for Northern hemisphere observers. This has been a great Mars apparition so far, I've watched it growing in the eyepiece since August. If the dust stays clear, Mars will be large enough to enjoy until almost February. If it turns into a cloudy red ball, well...

    This page shows a dust storm growing from the 2003 apparition of Mars, and a picture of the dreaded featureless red ball.
    http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/09jul_mars dust.htm

    1. Re:Mars Dust Bad! by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
      While this is exciting for amateur astronomers to see a process like this happening on Mars, it's also very forboding and ominous. Mars has a bad habit of becoming engulfed in planet wide dust storms which almost totally hide the surface features of the planet.

      Also plays havoc with tracking giant sand worms and collecting spice.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. Lucky? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    An amazing stroke of luck for everyone this weekend!

    Not if you live on Mars.