Take a look at Mars for National Astronomy Week!

British astrophotographer Damian Peach of Selsey, Sussex, made this image of Mars on 30 October 2020 using a one-metre telescope in Chile by remote access. It is one of the most detailed views of Mars ever taken from Earth and approaches the level of detail seen in images made with the Hubble Space Telescope. The area shown is Solis Lacus, with the canyon of Valles Marineris visible as a linear feature below it in the centre of the picture. The three lumps at the lower right are the summits of giant volcanoes. South is at the top, as seen in amateur telescopes, and the south polar cap is at the top of the view. Pale blue cirrus clouds are visible around the rim of the planet.

Credit

D. Peach / Chilescope

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We’ll be celebrating Mars in a series of free events for children and adults in National Astronomy Week.

From 14 to 22 November, the NAW team will bring you discussions by leading scientists, astrobiologists, presenters and writers every day, and in the evenings astronomical societies and observatories will broadcast images of the red planet from around the UK.

Mars is high in the UK sky at the moment, so early evenings are a great time to take a look at the planet for yourself. It’s obvious to the naked eye, and moderate telescopes show dark markings on its surface, and the southern polar cap, as well as clouds in the Martian atmosphere.

Check out the NAW 2020 website to book into one of our fantastic array of talks and observing events, and to find out more about our neighbouring world.

Submitted by Lucinda Offer on Tue, 10/11/2020 - 13:51