Contains:  Solar system body or event
A shrinking Mars, Niall MacNeill

A shrinking Mars

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging

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Description

Mars is down to 13.4 arc secs from its peak of 22.6 arc secs at closest approach. As it shrinks in apparent diameter the detail we can resolve on the surface has been diminishing, such that we are only resolving features roughly twice the size we could resolve at opposition under optimal conditions.

Nevertheless, the nice seeing conditions I had allowed me to produce a decent image with a good level of surface detail visible.

In this view Sinus Gomer is rotating into view from the terminator as is the red coloured extinct volcano Elysium Mons to its north. Olympus Mons can be just be seen on the p limb rotating out of view and it too has a distinctly red hue.

There is a nice band of blue white cloud on the terminator just north of the tiny remnant of the SPC.

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A shrinking Mars, Niall MacNeill