Observing celestial bodies is a fascinating experience. You need a telescope for this, but the selection of them in stores is now quite large. Despite the fact that orbiting telescopes and interplanetary space stations provide high-quality images of stars and planets directly to a computer, amateur observation has not lost its popularity.
It is necessary
- - telescope;
- - tables of planetary motion;
- - light filters.
Instructions
Step 1
To observe Mars, take a powerful telescope with a lens diameter of at least 15 cm. It is better if it is larger. A telescope with an equatorial mount is preferable, equipped with a clock or electric drive of daily movement and a guide, that is, a small pipe for precise aiming at a certain area of the sky.
Step 2
Using the table of planetary movements, determine the location of the planet Mars in the sky at the time you need. Aim the telescope at this point. Mars should be visible in the sky as a flickering reddish star. Correct the telescope direction using the guide and diurnal movement microscrews. Start the mechanism. Keep in mind that Mars also has its own speed and direction of movement, which are different from the movement of the firmament. Therefore, during the observation, you will have to periodically correct the position of the telescope. Do this with the aiming screws. It is best to observe Mars during the so-called opposition, that is, at the moment of the closest approach to the Earth. Aim the telescope in focus with the eyepiece adjustment screw.
Step 3
When observing Mars, it is not recommended to study maps of this planet in advance, especially if you want to engage in sketching details of its surface. The first thing that you can see, even with a relatively small telescope, is the polar caps and their seasonal changes. If your telescope gives a good color image, consider not only the polar caps themselves, but also the change in their color, as well as the shades of the planet's surface. Sketch the polar caps.
Step 4
When sketching, keep in mind that Mars rotates very quickly. You can spend no more than 20 minutes on one picture. Otherwise, the pictures will be distorted. Draw the general outline of the cap. If there are white elements that have come off the edges, you need to pay attention to this. Watch out for the appearance of dark edging. Apply dark surface details in the same way. Feather them only after outlining the contours. Don't try to find the famous Martian channels. They are not visible even with very powerful telescopes.
Step 5
Observe Mars through light filters. Put them on the eyepiece. Red, blue, yellow and green filters are used to observe this planet. With their help, you can see interesting atmospheric processes taking place on Mars. By wearing yellow or red filters, you can look at the haze covering part of the surface. The so-called yellow haze is a cloud of dust that sometimes covers very large areas. With a blue filter, you can see the purple layer of Mars, or blue haze. The origin of this phenomenon has not been studied. Sometimes gaps appear in it, through which the details of the planet are visible. Clouds are sometimes visible through the green filter.
