Mars Observers Wanted!

During 2005 Mars will not be as close to Earth as it was in the last apparition of Mars in 2003; however, it will be higher in our sky so every astronomy enthusiast will have the opportunity to see and enjoy Mars. We want to heighten your awareness of Mars in the coming year and, by explaining what kinds of observations are possible and how you could be making such observations, enlist your support as a Mars observer.

What the Mars Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) are asking you to do – sketch and take images of Mars from your backyard - may seem old-fashioned and unscientific compared to the accomplishments of the space missions to Mars. These missions mapped geological features and monitored atmospheric phenomena of the planet from orbit. But the spacecraft for monitoring atmospheric conditions of Mars are no longer in operation. Until the next missions reach Mars, everything we learn about Martian phenomena will come from terrestrial telescopes - and amateur planetary observers.

http://www.tnni.net/~dustymars/Article_2005.htm
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