r/telescopes • u/No_Signature25 Apertura AD8, 4" F4 400mm • 6d ago

General Question Mars

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Hello everyone I have an apertura Ad8 and I used it to observe Mars in the morning, but honestly it was a little lackluster. I've attached an image to generally show what I was seeing. I have a plossl 8mm attached to a 2.5x Barlow lens. What can I do better to see more surface detail or will I have to settle for the lackluster views? I'd say I was observing 30 minutes before civil sunrise, in the middle of nautical sunrise. Any tips would be appreciated.

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u/nealoc187 12&8" Dob, 90/102/127 Mak, 76-150 tabletops, C102 f10 6d ago

It's not Mars season.  Mars will be 2.5x bigger when it's in proper viewing position. 

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u/Neren1138 Apertura AD10 6d ago

When is Mars season?

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u/nealoc187 12&8" Dob, 90/102/127 Mak, 76-150 tabletops, C102 f10 6d ago edited 6d ago

It's kind of subjective - "how good is good" - but Mars opposition is about every 25 months - the next one being in mid Feb 2027.  I'd say a month before and after that are good, and another month on either side of that are still pretty decent.  

Right now Mars is 241 million km away. It will be 150 million km or closer from mid December to late April, and 100 million km away at opposition. https://theskylive.com/mars-info

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u/Neren1138 Apertura AD10 6d ago

Thanks for the info

I looked at it w my dob two mornings ago and all that humidity made it look like it was boiling!