# That's Mars there and I want a closer look - telescope help, please. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189 "2003-08-19T12:37:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/21 "2003-08-24T02:41:20Z")
I went to to the interactive sky chart at [http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/skychart/](http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/skychart/) and set my location for Singapore, time zone UT+8, for August 22 at 10 PM local time. There’s a problem here, because the chart also shows that the Moon didn’t rise till 3 AM Singapore time. But the bright object near the Moon is Saturn, and it should be closer to the horizon than the Moon. The brightest object visible at 10 PM is Mars, in the east-southeast about 30 degrees above the horizon. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/22 "2003-08-25T16:10:12Z")
thanks **rowrrbazzle** , for the link. 🙂 my bad, i saw it earlier in the month. memory tells me there is always a white unblinking star near the moon around that time. as soon as there’s a moon again i’ll fire up the link and double check… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/23 "2003-08-26T21:44:10Z")
Just for reference, I visited the Auckland [Stardome](http://www.stardome.co.nz) Observatory last night and had the chance to see Mars through two telescopes - their own large one and also one of the staffs own personal scopes. In both cases, magnification was at about 200x and with a bit of time for adaptation, you could make out one of the polar caps as a slightly brighter area, and also a very slight amount of contrast between the plains and the higher areas. Very cool. The main viewing difference between the $½million telescope and the $1000 (?) telescope was that the former automatically tracked Mars, while the smaller scope showed it really motoring - needing adjustment every minute or so to keep it in view. Both showed Mars as a bright disc, with contrasts as discribed above. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/24 "2003-08-26T23:48:41Z")
Tonight you are supposed to be able to see Mars quite nicely with the naked eye. Normally, it is sunny and clear in Las Vegas 360 days a year. Today it is socked in, about to thunderstorm and I can’t see squat. Great. Let me know if the Martians wave back at us. ---
**Author:** ![Zhen\_ka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zhen\_ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zhen_ka)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/25 "2003-08-27T00:56:33Z")
Me too! After a summer of 100+ weather, it’s now raining here in the Mojave Desert! Got all the cool equipment and a great plan for the evening. This sucks. Hope it clears tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/26 "2003-08-27T01:29:50Z")
**DMark** , you may already know this so forgive me, but if you miss Mars tonight, you’ve got at least two more weeks of excellent viewing. It’s already way been above average for several weeks now. In fact, while Mars is at it’s closest tonight / early tomorrow morning, it’s not going to appear any bigger or brighter than it has for the past few days, or than it will for the next few. I’ll echo the posts above regarding choosing a telescope - try before you buy. Optical quality and diameter are more important than how much it magnifies. Also important is portability - if you find that it’s a pain in the butt to pull it out of the closet, put it together, and heft it outside, you’re not going to use it that often. Also make sure the tripod / mount is sturdy and stable and won’t wobble around when you so much as breathe on it. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/27 "2003-08-27T01:37:09Z")
Err… that would be “already been way above average”… pardon my strange word inverted order. [more than you want (or really, need) to know about choosing telescopes](http://www.moreheadplanetarium.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&filename=science_resources_telescope.html) from where I used to work. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189/28 "2003-08-27T03:01:35Z")
Relatively good viewing in OKC, Ok tonight. It was 100 again today, so there is some atmospheric unsteadynous. But the Mars is looking good and bright. A cold front comes in Friday, so maybe afterwards the air won’t be so jumpy. Still, a glorious sight. The brightest thing in it’s part of the sky. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-mars-there-and-i-want-a-closer-look-telescope-help-please/196189.md?page=1)