Around 15.30 GMT on the 20th Nov while there was still light enough to see, I erected the MKAS fl2.6 6 inch refractor in my back garden and put plastic bags over the object glass dew cap and eyepiece. The air was absolutely still and already there was a marked chill. At 17.00 hours the stars higher up were scarcely twinkling at all, always a good sign for a planetary nut like me. 18.00 GMT found me kneeling on my bit of carpet remnant behind the telescope. I should note that even now, the instrument was covered with a film of moisture. There was a threat of fog which provided it did not descend, is good news for the planets but not for comets and nebulae. It's good when you can enjoy a view that approaches the telescopes optical potential. Atmospheric steadiness is paramount for the planets.

With the naked eye Mars still appears like a very bright reddish brown star shining unwaveringly in the constellation of Aries. The planet is currently magnitude -2.0. Using my 9m/m eyepiece I turned the scope on Mars and knew immediately this was going to be one of the best views so far this apparition. The planet was still completely round with no detectable phase. The South Polar Cap was very small but unmistakeable. The Martian southern hemisphere summer is well advanced. The North Polar Hood was much more obvious. This is extensive white cloud that forms over the Polar Cap in winter. There was also cloud on the planets western limb,- seen as limb whitening. Syrtis Major the prominent dark V marking on the planet could hardly be missed. After finishing with Mars and completing my drawing