Starship Asterisk*

The Faces of Mars

Explanation: Enthusiastic astro-artists ranging from expert to beginner, the youngest age 10, all contributed their work to this entertaining panel featuring different faces of Mars. Their sketches are all based on telescopic views of the Red Planet from earlier this year, near its 2010 opposition. Mars offers the best telescopic views at opposition, since that's when it is closest and opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Arranged in a spiral pattern, the sketches are positioned to follow the planet's rotation. No canals are visible(!), but large surface markings such as the dramatic, dark Syrtis Major are easily identified. As often seen through an astronomical telescope eyepiece, the planet's orientation is inverted, with Mars' north polar cap at the bottom.

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There has to be more to Mars than meets the eye when 24 different people look at it throught a telescope and end up painting 24 different pictures of it.
Mars MUST have a very powerful Mystique to it. I wonder if it makes a difference if its oil or water color?

I like this idea! And Mars is definitely the best object for such paintings through a telescope.

My favourite image is the one by Pierre Desvaux. In my opinion, he got the colors as you would see them through a telescope.

Astronut wrote:There has to be more to Mars than meets the eye when 24 different people look at it throught a telescope and end up painting 24 different pictures of it.

I agree with Astronut! But I think it's not a kind of mysticism but the different quality of our eyes.

Astronut wrote:There has to be more to Mars than meets the eye when 24 different people look at it throught a telescope and end up painting 24 different pictures of it.

APOD Robot wrote:Arranged in a spiral pattern, the sketches are positioned to follow the planet's rotation.

If you were to take 24 photos of Mars, one for each 15° of rotation, don't you think there would be 24 different views of Mars?

Hey guys; thanks for being so helpful and pointing out things that i miss in the wee hours of the morning when i should have been in bed already.

Pehaps you can be of more help and suggest how i can check out a user name to see if its actually being used, or if it is one that i first used a couple of years ago and i was just blocked by the computer from useing it again?? The user name is BEYOND. Thanks guys!

Astronut wrote:Pehaps you can be of more help and suggest how i can check out a user name to see if its actually being used, or if it is one that i first used a couple of years ago and i was just blocked by the computer from useing it again?? The user name is BEYOND. Thanks guys!

beyond - Registered Aug 2009 - one post

Thanks bystander. That was the first post i tried doing and something did not go right and i could not figure it out so i gave up for a while.
For some reason when i tried posting again a little while ago, the Darn computer told me that beyond was already taken and i had to think up a new user name.
Do you happen to know where i have to hit the computer to be able to use my original user name?? thank you!

If your e-mail is the same, go to the login page and request a new activation e-mail or password.

What a fascinating montage. Shame that Mars does not look that large to the naked eye, as it would be an amazing sight with a Full Moon also in view. The drawings of Mars do look like tiddlywinks (well they do to me!).

When I saw the APOD title I thought the subject would be about the landforms on Mars that look a bit like faces.

DavidLeodis wrote:When I saw the APOD title I thought the subject would be about the landforms on Mars that look a bit like faces.

Nice thought! Such an APOD would be great!

I have looked up in google and found some astonishing images: klick here.

It fascinates me how shaddows and mountain formations can create such images!