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Sketched October 18, 2003 from Mount Wilson, CA at 9:30 p.m. pacific DST (daylight savings time) or 04:30 UT October 11. Seeing poor, with moments of better, transparency LM 4.0 - LA light pollution brightens the sky as much as a full moon.

Date: 10/19/03 Lat 34N, Long 118W, elev. 5715 feet Sketch Time (UT): 4:30, (local time): 09:30 p.m. DST
Central Meridian: 284° Filters: none
Instrument: 60-inch Mt. Wilson George Ritchey 1908 f/16. Bent Cassegrain focus used. Distance from earth 0.54 AU, 81m km, 50m miles
Magnification: (100mm) 240x  Masiamma Kellner 4-inch diameter eyepiece Transp. 4/6, Seeing 4-6/10, Antoniadi (I-V):  I
Apparent Size: 17.2" Magnitude: -1.6

Details about Mars: Diameter 17.2 arc seconds (Jupiter is about 30 -50 arc seconds in diameter depending on its distance from earth). Central Meridian 284 - the imaginary line passing through the planetary poles of rotation and bisecting the planetary disk, and is used to determine the longitude during an observing session. Mars' phase is now 91%.

Syrtis Major is prominent. In the 60-inch Libya is quite bright, it is the white spot near syrtis Major. Hellas is very bright on the northern half. Mare Serpentis snakes around Hellas.

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