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East and West noted in the sketch are Martian E/W, not celestial E/W.
Observation Notes:
I hadn’t observed Mars for a couple months when I finally gave it a last look for the 2005 apparition. The seeing was on and off crud to semi-crud. Mars was a beautiful, salmon color. Gradually, some darker features began to emerge. The smaller angular size of the planet and the seeing problems made everything very difficult. It was still a great sight to behold. There was a very bright haze northwest of Mare Chronium. The North Polar Hood had a blueish tint, and more limb haze crowded the east limb.
Info
| Subject | Mars – Central Meridian: 170° |
| Classification | Planet |
| Position* | Aries [RA: 02:24:36 / Dec: +15:46:33] |
| Size* | 14.00″ (Angular Size) |
| Brightness* | -0.95 |
| Date/Time | December 20, 2005 – 7:45 through 8:30 PM MST (December 21, 2005 – 02:45 – 03:30 UT) |
| Observing Loc. | Flagstaff, AZ – Home |
| Instrument | Orion SVP 6LT Reflector (150 mm dia./1200 mm F/L) |
| Eyepieces/Mag. | 10 mm Sirius Plössl+ 2X Barlow (240X) #21A Orange Filter; #80A Blue Filter |
| Conditions | Mostly clear, cool, slight breezes |
| Seeing | Ant. IV |
| Transparency | Unrecorded |
| *Sources | Starry Night Pro Plus 5.8.2 British Astronomical Society Mars Maps |