Mars

Observing Mars

Mars is about twice the distance from the Sun as the Earth, as a result the anguar size of Mars varies considerably depending on the relative positions of Mars and Earth in their orbits around the Sun.

Through a small telescope you should be able to see Mars as a disk, the polar caps should also be visible and on nights with good seeing you shoudl be able to see some features on the surface.

Useful Filters:

Light Yellow (Wratten #3)    Improves contract of albedo features on the surface.
Yellow-Green (Wratten #11) Good for reddish-brown surface features.
Red (Wratten #25A)    Improve contrast of polar caps.
Dark Blue (Wratten 38A)    Good for white clouds.
Medium Blue (Wratten 80A) Good for white clouds.

Imaging:

Lucky imaging using a digital sensor will provide the best results, a monochrome sensor will reduce your exposure time and help freeze the seeing. A red or IR Pass filter will help freeze seeing but at the expense of longer exposures.