Mars – February 2, 2010 – CM 93° – 100°
Sketch and Details by Michael Rosolina
I made this observational sketch of the Red Planet during a recent break in the wintry weather here. I was happy to catch Mars not long after its closest approach to Earth, while the planet still had an angular diameter of 14 arcseconds. That is as big at Mars will appear this apparition and still pretty small for visual observations.
Seeing the ice cap and signs of atmospheric clouds always reminds me of the similiarities between Mars and our own planet–perhaps why observers are always drawn to train their telescopes on that bright, ruddy dot in the sky.
I made this sketch at the eyepiece using 2B and HB pencils to render the dark albedo features and to make the schematic next to the full drawing. I then came inside and immediately added the color, using orange ochre, yellow, peach, and blue color pencils. After scanning, I added the text and notes.
Mars
Planet
Friars Hill, WV USA
February 2, 2010
Clear skies,
Michael Rosolina
Michael,
Your pictures is very interesting.
Thank You for publishing it.
Marek 🙂
Michael,
Nice sketch and report of Mars now.
Frank 🙂
Marek, Frank–thank you for your comments.
Michael