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Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.4, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Fri Jun 10 04:15:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1971
This evening, I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. Once again, I was able to view the north polar icecap as well as the south polar hood. I was not able to see any limb haze this time around but I did see plenty of dark areas on Mars' surface. I then pointed my scope to Saturn. There I was able to see the northern hemisphere of Saturn with two cloud belts going across the Saturn's face. I did manage to glimpse the Cassini division on Saturn's ring system as well as seeing Saturn's moon Titan. what a night of viewing!
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.5, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Thu May 26 04:15:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1970
Just after midnight last night, I observed Mars with my 127 mm MAK scope. I was able to first notice Mars' north polar ice cap which was easy to see. I also observed the south polar hood as well as limb haze. There were plenty of dark areas on Mars' surface as well. As a bonus, nearby to the left of Mars was the rival of Mars Anteres. Now that's a double feature.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.5)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: good Seeing: fair
Time: Mon May 23 04:15:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1969
I just finished looking at the Triangle of the moon, Mars & Saturn. Looking nice.
Mars (Planet, est. mag 1.5)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sat Oct 10 10:00:00 2015 UT Obs. no.: 1959
Yesterday morning, before we went on a road trip, my brother Anthony, my friends Dave & Mike & I observed a beautiful planetary lineup in the eastern sky. The waning crescent moon was on the bottom with Jupiter above the moon. Mars was next above Jupiter, followed by very bright Venus. Finally, above Venus, was the star Regulus.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -.4, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun Jul 6 01:00:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1924
This evening a group of friends & I enjoyed the fireworks at the West Haven beach. Before the fireworks started, We were able to view the close conjunction of the moon, Mars & Spica. Mars was only .2 of a degree just above the moon while Spica was just 1.5 degrees left of the moon. The fireworks erupted right in front of the planet Saturn, which has its own conjunction with the moon on Monday evening July 7th. That will also be a nice sight.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.5, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 16-inch Dobsonian reflector Location: Branford, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: light Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Sun Apr 20 01:00:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1910
Last evening, my brother Tony, my friend Steve & I went to a local star party in Branford, CT. I did a lot of my viewing in the 16" scope with Mars the prime target. Even in the 16" Mars' shrinking polar cap was difficult to see. However, the dark albedo features were easy to see. If I had a map of Mars, I would have been able to identify what I was looking at. During this apparition, I've only been able to see limb haze just once. Even with this large scope, We could not see limb haze. I see this as a subtle change in Mars' climate. We then turned the scope on Jupiter, who's belts really showed very clearly. I saw one knot on Jupiter's North Equitorial belt but I did not see any festooning. The belts & polar regions of Jupiter were magnificent. Since there were a lot of cirrus clouds, we looked at a couple of double stars. In Leo, one double star who's name I can't remember showed two beautiful yellow components almost touching them. We also split Mizor into a larger & smaller blue component which was also very striking. Finally, we closed the evening by viewing M44, an open cluster. Within the cluster, there were many double & triple stars which I believe will always be together, even as the cluster starts to Separate. A great Saturday night of viewing.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.5, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun Apr 13 03:45:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1908
Last evening I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. I was able to see a dark area on Mars which I believe was Syrtis Major. It showed vividly during a few moments of good seeing. I also saw some limb haze on one side of Mars. This was my first view of limb haze during this apparition. As for the north polar ice cap, it is shrinking fast. All in all, this was my best view of Mars so far.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.5, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Wed Apr 9 03:45:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1907
This evening, I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. With Mars being at its closest now, I am starting to see some features on Mars' surface, I'm able to see Mars' polar ice cap & now, I am also able to see Mars' south polar hood. I am also seeing a lot more albedo features on Mars also. I love this planet.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.6, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun Apr 6 02:30:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1906
This evening, I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. I am still able to see the shrinking north polar ice cap along with some albedo features. I also used my 10X50 binoculars to compare & contrast the different colors of Mars & Spica. The orange of Mars & the blue color of Spica are great to look at in binos.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.6, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Wed Mar 19 02:45:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1905
Last night, my friend Steve & I took a ride to a fairly dark sight to view Mars, the moon & Spica rise together. Spica was to the upper right of the moon & Mars was to the upper left of the moon. It was a great sight.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.6, est. to be in Virgo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: poor
Time: Sun Mar 16 04:30:00 2014 UT Obs. no.: 1904
Last evening, my brother Anthony & I observed the Planet Mars with my 127mm MAK. We were able to see the shrinking north polar ice cap. With seeing being poor, we were only able to see a few albedo markings. I'm planning on viewing Mars for the upcoming apparition many times. Spica is very close to Mars & I intend to look at both with my binoculars to compare & contrast their different colors.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.2, est. to be in Leo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Mon Feb 27 02:30:00 2012 UT Obs. no.: 1880
This evening, I observed Mars with 127mm MAK & 12mm televue eyepiece. Mars' north polar icecap has shrunk as Mars' northern hemishere transitions to spring. I was able to see some albedo features which I could not identify. Earlier in the evening I observed the close encounter between Jupiter & the moon with Venus below them. It was a beautiful sight. Mercury also was in the western sky far below Venus but still easy to see. In my 10X50 binoculars Venus looked less than half lit as it heads towards its crscent phase.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1, est. to be in Leo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Wed Feb 1 04:00:00 2012 UT Obs. no.: 1879
Last night, my brother Anthony & I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK & 12mm Televue eyepiece. The north polar ice cap is very large & obvious. It will start melting very soon as Mars' northern hemishere enters spring. The only land feature I identified was Syrtis Major. I also thought I saw a polar hood over Mars' south pole.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.2, est. to be in Leo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Thu Jan 28 02:15:00 2010 UT Obs. no.: 1846
Last evening I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK and with my 12mm Televue Eyepiece. Mars' north polar icecap has started to recede. A couple of weeks ago I noticed some shrinkage of the NPC but now it's very obvious. I can now see albedo features quite easily now that mars is at opposition. Also there was a little limb haze on Mars.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Fri Jan 15 02:00:00 2010 UT Obs. no.: 1845
This evening I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK and 12mm Telrvue Eyepiece. The north polar cap has started to noticably shrink.It's still easily seen as well as the limb haze. I was able to see albedo markings but I wasn't able to identify the areas.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.5, est. to be in Leo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: poor
Time: Fri Dec 18 04:00:00 2009 UT Obs. no.: 1841
Last evening my brother Anthony and I observed Mars with my 127MM MAK and 12mm Televue eyepiece. We were able to see the North Polar Ice Cap without any difficulty. The ice cap should start melting soon but so far it's very obvious. I've also been observing sunspot complex 1035 with my solar scope. A CME was ejected towards earth and we have a chance to see an Aurora this evening. Here's hoping.
Mars (Planet, est. mag 1.5, est. to be in Leo)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 50-mm binoculars Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Fri Jul 11 01:15:00 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1793
This evening Steve Borer and I observed the close encounter between Saturn and Mars using my 10X50 binoculars and our naked eye. Mars and Saturn came within three quarters of a degree to each other. In binoculars Saturn's yellow color contrasted very nicely to the orange color of Mars. Saturn also was the brighter of the two planets. Both planets will remain fairly close to each other for the next few days.
Mars (Planet, est. mag .3, est. to be in Gemini)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: Milford, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: light Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Wed Apr 16 00:30:00 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1776
This evening, my friend Steve Borer and I observed two naked eye triangles in the night sky. The first triangle involved Mars being at the point of the triangle along with the stars Castor and Pollux. As impressive as this naked eye triangle was, another more impressive one appeared right above our heads. This one involved the gibbous moon as the point of the triangle along with Saturn and Regulus. These two sights were quite impressive.
Mars (Planet)
Observer: Joseph (e-mail: williestinks@gmail.com)
Instrument: other Location: marquette, MI, USA
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: excellent Seeing: good
Time: Mon Mar 17 01:36:23 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1768
I used my MEADE finder, as my MEADE is having some tripod problems, to few mars. It was remarkable. My last time I viewed I was in gwinn... and for some reason I saw mars better through a finder than my MEADE. Will keep posting as the night progresses... Im fixing my tripod as I type this...
Mars (Planet)
Observer: Joseph (e-mail: williestinks@gmail.com)
Instrument: 625-mm refractor Location: gwinn, MI, US
Light pollution: none Transparency: excellent Seeing: excellent
Time: Tue Mar 11 02:44:00 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1766
I had spent the night observing stars with my teachers newton 900mm(which she let me borrow for the year). The newton needs some fixing. Anyway I decide to pull out my old scope (with a broken tripod) and view the moon. I got bored of this and tried for a final time to locate Mars... This time it worked and I got to see Mars's red color.. There where not many things I could see on it, but I could still see it great... Is there a storm at the time on mars... Could that be why I could not see it well??? Anyway Im going to pack up and head to bed.. Waking up early... What will I see... Venus??? Email me at williestinks@gmail.com...Wish me luck
Mars (Planet)
Observer: Mark D. Schneider (e-mail: markd_s@yahoo.com)
Instrument: binoculars Location: Garden Grove, California, United States of America
Light pollution: light Transparency: good Seeing: good
Time: Sun Jan 20 02:15:00 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1753
The Moon had already passed the Planet as they rose in the NE but it's STILL a good sight as I type this.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.3, est. to be in Gemini)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm binoculars Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Wed Jan 9 23:15:00 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1750
This evening I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. Mars is now starting to become slightly waning gibbous. The two areas I observed were Mare Australe and the Tharsis region. These two areas were very easy to see. I didn't see much of the north polar region this time so I still don't know if the polar hood has desolved.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.57, est. to be in Gemini)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun Dec 30 00:00:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1748
This evening I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. The martian features I viewed tonight were Mare Chromium, Mare Cimmerium and Mare Sirenum. I think the north polar ice cap may be peeking out from under the north polar hood. It's really hard to tell but I'll try to observe Mars on the next clear night. Also limb haze is quite pronounced on one side of Mars. When you look at Mars, Beetelgeuse and Aldebaran you will see what some astronomers refer to as the orange triangle. Beetelgeuse is the point of the triangle with Mars on its left and Aldebaran on its right. It's worth seeing.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.5, est. to be in Gemini)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Wed Dec 26 00:00:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1747
After stuffing myself for Christmas I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. The two main martian features were Mare Chronium and Mare Cimmerium. I was able to see a cloud in the area of Eridania. It was quite obvious. The north polar hood is still blocking our view of the polar ice cap. There was considerable limb haze on both the evening and morning sides of Mars.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -1.54, est. to be in Gemini)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Dec 18 00:30:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1745
This evening I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. This time Mars featured Syrtis Major on the earth facing side of Mars. Unlike last month I was not able to see the blue clearing in Syrtis Major. The Hellas Basin was also in view but this month I saw no clouds in Hellas. Last month I saw a big cloud in Hellas. Other features I observed on Mars were Sinus Sebaeus, Mare Serpentis, Iapygia and Mare Tyrrhenum. The north polar hood was very difficult to see and I also did not see any limb haze this time around. Earlier, I observed an earth grazing Geminid meteor that slowly traveled from horizon to horizon. It was about second magnitude, yellow in color and it lasted about four seconds.
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