Mars Section Report No. 12

1997 June 1–15

General

D: 9.0 to 8.2 arcsec, Ls: 126 to 133 deg. UK weather and seeing conditions remained fairly good, but several observers have ceased observing on account of the diminutive disk. No changes in surface features have been noticed. The summer NPC remains static and clearly defined. There has been no indication of atmospheric dust activity. Selected observations are set out chronologically; this report will be very incomplete in longitudinal coverage but is released now on account of its topicality.

Selected observations

June 1 Meredith CML 312 deg: Hellas bright on p.m. side.

June 4 Teichert CML 275 deg: Hellas and (p.m.) Elysium light. Observer found Mare Hadriacum very dark.

June 4 McKim CML 287–292 deg: Hellas bright. Syrtis Major is fainter than the very dark M.Tyrrhenum. Hellas and (p.m.) Elysium bright.

June 7 Gaskell CML 353 deg: Evening cloud over Libya. A band (of light evening cloud?) the width of Hellas ran northwards from Hellas over Iapigia towards Deltoton; it was of similar brightness to Deucalionis Regio.

June 8 Meredith CML 247 deg: normal albedo features.

June 14 Schmude CML 263–272 deg: Syrtis Major weak (51-cm refl., x570); suggests light a.m. haze, similar to diurnal effects seen in May. Also NPR ‘dull white’, and clouds at Np limb and Nf terminator.

As this is more or less the end of the apparition, let me thank you for your communications, and let us all hope that the NASA Mars probes will be really successful. Watch the press this summer!

Richard McKim, Director

1997 June