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Mars - bigger and more beautiful by the day, Niall MacNeill

Mars - bigger and more beautiful by the day

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging
Mars - bigger and more beautiful by the day, Niall MacNeill

Mars - bigger and more beautiful by the day

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging

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Mars.......bigger and more beautiful by the day. Now nearly 20 arc secs in diameter compared to 22.6 arc secs at closest approach on the 6th October. Mars' phase is also changing and becoming fuller as we move in our orbit to swing around in front of it. It is now 93% illuminated

I show it in this orientation for aesthetic reasons and just for a change. This is more south up.

The fine structure of the albedo(dark) areas is well resolved here.

Thick blue-white water vapour clouds are around the north polar region (bottom). Meanwhile the south polar cap seems to have slowed down its rate of shrinkage.

PS I'm sorry that I accidentally locked off comments on my last Jupiter image...now fixed. :-(

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Mars - bigger and more beautiful by the day, Niall MacNeill