MARS



Mars rises in the east-southeast shortly after the end of twilight,
shining a bright, fiery orange. It's beautifully placed in the south
before dawn. Mars is now unusually large and shows quite a bit of detail
in a good telescope when the atmosphere is steady; observe the planet
when it's highest before dawn.

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MARS AT ITS ALL-TIME FINEST

Never before in human history has such a golden opportunity to observe the
red planet presented itself. Make the most of it with our online Mars
observing guide for 2003.


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MARS IN 2003: WHICH SIDE IS VISIBLE?

To compare what you see on Mars with a map, you need to know which side
of the planet you're looking at. Our handy Mars Profiler tells you that and
more, for any date and time.
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MARTIAN FLARE WATCH

Sharp-eyed amateurs have an opportunity to observe a rare phenomenon on
another planet and help solve a long-standing puzzle. Bright, star-like
flares from certain regions on the planet Mars likely come from sunlight
glinting off patches of frost or ice on the Martian surface. Discover when
and where to watch for these flares this year at: Sky & Telescope.com

Light's Out----oFF-tHE gRID!

There's a slew of theories being thrown out there as to the
cause of the Blackout - was it HAARP? Energy pirates?
Don't Mess With Texas -- wonder why they have their own power grid?
UFOs? A blown fuse? Accidentally or on purpose?
Here's a great photo that Norm sent me - it sure looked
strange from space...l

Island Chronicle

For those of you who haven't seen this - please go to see
Island Chronicle
immediately - The photographs are just great, and the story
is unfolding:
On June 21, 2003, Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair moved from Los Angeles to the South Pacific. Our first stop is Rarotonga, a tiny island in the South Pacific. We're bringing our two young daughters with us.
This is our story, one photograph at a time.