Repost from SJAA Chat
Del J.
Sky & Telescope
June 7, 2001
Attention all Mars observers: Flares have been sighted in Edom
Promontorium!
In the May 2001 issue of SKY & TELESCOPE (pages 115 to 123), Thomas
Dobbins
and William Sheehan discussed rare historical observations of bright,
star-like flares from certain regions on the planet Mars. They
suggested
that the flares might be caused by specular reflections of sunlight off
water-ice crystals in surface frosts or atmospheric clouds,
specifically
at
times when the sub-Sun and sub-Earth points were nearly coincident and
near
the planet's central meridian (the imaginary line running down the
center
of the visible disk from pole to pole).
Based on their analysis, Dobbins and Sheehan predicted that flares like
those last reported in 1958 might erupt this week in Edom Promontorium,
near the Martian equator at longitude 345 degrees. Dobbins organized an
expedition to the Florida Keys, where Mars would ride high in the south
under exceptionally steady skies. Expedition members observed the
planet
using a variety of telescopes nightly beginning June 3rd. No flares
were
seen for several nights. But on June 7th, beginning around 06:40 UT
(2:40
Eastern daylight time), about 80 minutes before Edom crossed the
central
meridian, the team observed a series of brightenings. Each lasted
perhaps 3
to 5 seconds; they occurred sporadically over the next 90 minutes or
so,
until clouds ended the observations. At times Edom appeared to pulse
with a
period of 10 to 15 seconds for a minute or two. The flares were seen
visually at about 300 power through two homemade 6-inch (15-centimeter)
Newtonian reflectors (one f/6, the other f/8) by Dobbins, Donald
Parker,
Gary Seronik, Rick Fienberg, and David Moore and were recorded on video
at
1,400 power through a Meade 12-inch (30-cm) Schmidt-Cassegrain
telescope
by
Parker and Tippy D'Auria. Visually, the flares seemed to cut the dark
linear feature Sinus Sabaeus nearly in two.
Mars observers in North America, especially the western half, are
encouraged to observe the planet visually and to record it on video
over
the next two or three nights, when conditions will continue to favor
flares
in Edom. Observing reports -- including your location, Universal date
and
time, telescope/equipment description, sky conditions, and any other
relevant details -- should be sent to the Mars sections of the
Association
of Lunar and Planetary Observers (http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/alpo/) and
British Astronomical Association
(http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~baa/jupiter/index.html), as well as the
International Mars Watch (http://elvis.rowan.edu/marswatch).
Clear skies!
-- Rick Fienberg and Gary Seronik, SKY & TELESCOPE
Jeff Lipsman
you post the photos or .mpg files on the web.
--Jeff