Mars | 2020

A good opposition for Mars in terms of its apparent angular size. From about 12 October a dust storm developed which in the 14 and 15 November images can be seen filling Valles Marineris.


Mars 25 September 2020
25 September		 Mars 30 September 2020
30 September		 Mars 1 October 2020
1 October

Mars 5 October 2020
5 October		 Mars 14 October 2020
14 October		 Mars 14 October 2020
14 October

Mars 14 October 2020
14 October		 Mars 14 October 2020
14 October		 Mars 16 October 2020
16 October

Mars 17 October 2020
17 October		 Mars 25 October 2020
25 October		 Mars 11-12 November 2020
11-12 November | dust storm develops

Mars 14 November 2020
14 November		 Mars 15 November 2020
15 November		 Mars 17 November 2020
17 November

Mars 19 November 2020
19 November		 Mars 19 November 2020
19 November		 Mars 20 November 2020
20 November

Mars | 2018

A very favourable opposition (in late July) for Mars in terms of its apparent angular size, but alas, a dust storm blanketing the planet greatly reduced the visibility of surface detail.


Mars 29 June 2018
29 June		 Mars 6 July 2018
6 July		 Mars 12 July 2018
12 July

Mars 17 July 2018
17 July		 Mars 23 July 2018
23 July		 Mars 24 July 2018
24 July

Mars 30 July 2018
30 July		 Mars 3 August 2018
3 August 09:20 UT		 Mars 3 August 2018
3 August 10:48 UT

A back-and-forth cycling animation showing the planet's rotation over the course of about 40 minutes (24 July, 10:12-10:53 UT).

Mars | 2016


2 June
4 June

Missed out on observing the planet around its May opposition due to travel. Still, by June, when these images were made, its apparent diameter was around 18 arcseconds, larger than it was at any time during its last close approach in 2014.


Mars 13 June 2016
13 June		 Mars 15 June 2016
15 June		 Mars 19 June 2016
19 June

Mars 24 June 2016
24 June		 Mars 2 July 2016
2 July		 Mars 5 July 2016
5 July

Mars | 2014


1 April
6 April

Mars imaged during April 2014, in the days approaching its 8 April opposition; diameter just under 15 arcseconds. Prominent features include the North Polar Cap (at bottom - north is down in these images) along with dark albedo features Syrtis Major and Sinus Sabaeus (left of centre and upper right respectively in the 1 April image). In both images a large area of cloud is visible over the Hellas basin (at top, to the south of Syrtis Major). In the 6 April image an area of cloud is visible over Elysium (left of centre).



11 May
15 May
19 May

After a four-week interruption to observing due to travel, the planet's apparent diameter has shrunk to 13.7 arcseconds by 11 May. In the 15 May image an area of blue cloud or haze is visible over Utopia (at about the 5 o'clock position). By 19 May the areas of Amazonis and Tharsis rotate into view (around the 9 o'clock position) with bright clouds over Olympus Mons and the other Tharsis-Amazonis volcanoes.



22 May
28 May

In the image at left of the 22 May pair (made at about 07:20 UT) Tharsis-Amazonis has rotated further into view, while the picture at right, made later (around 11:00 UT) shows extensive blue cloud or haze over Utopia. The 28 May trio were made at 06:26, 07:12 and 07:59 UT.



31 May
4 June

The 31 May images were made at 06:56, 07:15 and 07:53 UT; the 4 June pair at 06:09 and 06:53 UT.


Animation showing the planet's rotation over the course of about an hour (6 April, 10:48-11:46 UT).

All images made with a Schmidt-Cassegrain 11-inch telescope working at about f/20; stacks of multiple frames made from separate sequences using a monochrome camera through red, green and blue filters.

Note that despite differing "canvas" sizes, all the Mars images on this page (apart from the animations) are at about the same relative scale.