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Mars 2001 Images by Bobby Middleton "The Heavens Declare the Glory of God"

Telescope = 12.5" f/7 Newtonian Mount = AstroPhysics 1200 GTO CCD Camera =SBIG st-237

South is up in all images coordinates and data from Mars Previewer II

	4-29-01; 11:00 UT seeing = 6; Trans = good Meridian = 26.84 Diameter = 14.04'' Phase = .9340	Broad south polar hood at top Is Argyre seen through the hood? Dust clouds on the right (morning) limb also seen by some visual observers
	4-30-01; 10:30 UT seeing = 6+ Trans = good Meridian = 27.35 Diameter = 14.2'' Phase = .9356	South polar hood is not as bright as the 4-29 image. Dust clouds not as bright. Sinus Sabaeus extending from the left limb.
	5-8-01; 11:00 UT seeing = 6+ Trans = fair Meridian = 304.07 Diameter = 15.49 Phase = .9498	A diminished polar hood extends from Hellas and it appears that haze is over the right limb and Sinus Sabaeus area extending down toward Utopia. Syrtis Major very dark.
	5-9-0; 10:30 UT seeing = 5 Trans = fair Meridian =287.62 Diameter = 15.65 Phase = .9516	Less haze seems to be present over Sinus Sabaeus here as well as down at the Utopia region but seeing quality was poorer so it's hard to trust this image very well due to its lower resolution.

5-13; 10:15 UT

seeing = 6+ Trans = fair

Meridian = 247.47 Diameter = 16.32

Phase = .9592

Southern polar hood still present; limb haze on right limb present and extending down to Utopia. Chaos is dimly visible as a small light area at lower left center of disk. Is the dark area right of Chaos the Hyblaeus extension?

6-3-01; 7:45 UT

seeing = 5 Trans = good

Meridian = 22.07 Diameter = 19.55

Phase = .9938

The southern polar hood is still present almost 1 month since my last image. The apparent diameter is noticeably larger. The phase is almost full. Limb haze is present in the Tempe region at 4:00 o'clock. These features are the same as the top two images from late April.

6-10-01: 6:30 UT

seeing = 7+ Trans = good

Meridian = 294.37 Diameter = 20.28

Phase = .999

The southern polar hood is greatly diminished and not even close to the overwhelming bright visual area it was in late April and all of May. Also there is less limb haze. Mars is near it's largest apparent size here and also at full phase.