Mars
  Mars Apparition Notes - 2024-2025 Featured Observations

North Polar Region of Mars in Very Late Winter
1/10/2025
The North Polar Vortex (NPV) of Mars circles the North Pole of Mars. It is a circular jet stream and similar to the one on Earth. It is a major weather-maker on Mars. The author thanks Teruaki Kumamori of Sakai City, Osaka, Japan whose consistently high-resolution images made these descriptions possible.
The 01 October below shows two possible cold fronts.
The 11 October image below shows possible ice storms.
The 12 October image below shows a possible large cold air mass.
The 16 October image below shows possible knot-shaped cold air masses.
The images below show the appearance of part of the NPC that up to now has been invisible due it being transparent slab ice. In previous apparitions the author has specified it as the "Life-Saver" cap.
The 20 November images below show more of the North Polar Cap and a massive knot of cold air.
This author again thanks Teruaki Kumamori of Sakai City, Osaka, Japan whose consistently high-resolution images made these descriptions possible.

Mid-Summer Southern Hemisphere Dust Storms
9/24/2024

Bright dust clouds were imaged in and around Erythraeum Mare in mid-Summer. See the August 20, 21 and 22, 2024 images below recorded by Gary Walker with a 10" A-P Mak-Cass. in Georgia USA. The leftmost image was recorded by Mike Wolle on August 14th using an 18" Newtonian in Knittefield, Austria. It shows the region before the dust storms. The atmosphere looks like it is saturated in dust. The Aug. 20th image shows a large dust cloud in Eos and one in a kilometers-long band in Erythraeum Mare. Further south is another kilometers-long band stretching from Argyre to Ogygis Regio. The August 21st image shows the two dust bands consolidated and stretching westward covering Bosporous and Solis Lacus. The dark area southwest of Aurora Sinus is the western end of Erythraeum Mare. The August 22nd image shows a mostly clear Erythraeum Mare and a large, very bright dust cloud over Solis Lacus. It also shows a large swath of dust stretching from Argyre II through Australe in the South Polar Region and curving into Daedalia along the morning limb. The blue clouds in the North Polar Region show changes occurring in what is generally referred to as the North Polar Hood.

Gary Walker also recorded the August 24, 25, 26 and 28 images below. I think they show the aftermath of the dust storms with much of the dust deposited on the ground. However, there is still some much-reduced airborne dust on August 24th and 25th. Normal features are now becoming visible in the August 26th and 28th images. The North Polar Hood activity has increased.