SiliconWolf

I just took a look at Mars a few minutes ago through my dad's telescope. With the most powerful lens, I could see a distinct white sliver at one edge of the disk that I think was the ice cap. Unfortunately there is too much light from the city in that direction to see much else (the moons, for example).

This event turned out to have remarkable timing because the moon is new and Mars is full. But I guess Mars would have to be full in this sort of alignment, wouldn't it?

pmurray

I drove a little way out of town to see Mars. The sky - was indescribable. Out of town it is full of stars. Thick with them. I saw the milky way, and the southern cross, and a billion others that I don't know the names of. The sky, which just looks like a low, flat ceiling in town, looked like a vast, sky-spanning dome, stretching from horizon to horizon, not built with human hands. I had forgotten. I nearly cried.

And yet the truth is even more awesome than that. Mars was there - unnaturally bright and big, and the wrong colour. Unmistakable. Very soon I will climb into my car again, and drive thousands of Ks along the outback highways. I will fly across the ground at night. Above me, a sea of stars.

SiliconWolf

I've been to Australia. You can stand see more stars while standing next to a street light in the middle of town than we can see out in the country here in the States. You have low humidity and the southern hemisphere sees more stars in general. And the meteors there are totally nuts! Ours last for a nothingth of a second but yours go on for a few seconds with funky colors and everything. I think Australia is where used up satellites go to die.

Asha'man

Sorry to spoil the excitement, but this close approach of Mars isn't really all that special. It's closer than it's been in 60,000 years, but not by much.

In 1924, it was only 17,000 miles further away. In 1956 and 1971 is was a couple hundred thousand miles further out. Since the distance now is 34.7 million miles, this approach just isn't as big as people are making it out to be.

I think the better view will be in 2005, when it is nearly as close, but much north of the ecliptic. We (in the northern hemisphere) will have much better viewing, looking through much less atmosphere.

vixenell

We've had major thunder storms for the past three days, so I missed the whole Mars Day thing. I don't think our campus observatory will be open again until september, so I'll have to look w/ my naked eye

Shadowy Man

Don't worry about missing it this week. Go to your campus observatory in September. It will look pretty much the same for the first week or two of September.

It will get just a bit dimmer and a little smaller, but not by too much. Besides, it will be higher sooner in the evening and so you won't have to wait until late to get the best viewing.

openeyes

I was working an overnight shift that evening when Mars was at its closest. We overnighters have to find our own celebrations, so we shared Mars Milky Way candy bars (since they don't make Mars Bars anymore, at least not by that name) and gazed at Mars with our naked eyes through the city lights.

I've had more spectacular celebrations, but hey, we did note the event. (We were having a warm, clear night, so it was nice to stand outside for a couple minutes anyway.)

Karalora

My dad (an astronomy buff) had a party last night to celebrate. He's got a pretty powerful backyard telescope; we could easily make out the polar ice cap and some of the largest surface features.