11:45 p.m. 11 January 2008 PST (2008–01–12–0745 UT)
Just a quick look at Mars tonight. I've been sick on and off since Christmastime, so this is really the first time I've been able to get a decent look at Mars for a while. Unfortunately, by the time I got out, Mars was already over the house (it's to the west of our backyard), and the seeing was pretty mediocre: about 3–4 arcseconds of blur most of the time.
I was able to make out whiteness both north and south—maybe a little more on the south side, but I couldn't say for sure—and the telltale signs of Mare Sirenum to the preceding side, and Maria Cimmerium and Tyrrhenum to the following side. There seemed to be some indication of Stymphalius Lacus in the north, but otherwise, the northern hemisphere seemed devoid of visible detail. Mare Sirenum in particular seemed to be larger than I have on my maps—has it in fact enlarged, or is that a trick of the so-so view?
Despite the seeing, Mars never seemed small to me in the eyepiece, even at 210x, though that might just be because it's my first look in a few weeks!
Copyright (c) 2008 Brian Tung