.................................................................
 .        = T H E   M A R T I A N   C H R O N I C L E =          .
 .                                                               .
 .  The electronic newsletter by the International Mars Patrol,  .
 .                  an observing program of the                  .
 .          Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers         .
 .                     Edited by: J.D. Beish                     .
 . August 1991                                            No. 9  .
 .................................................................
                       MARTIAN ASTROBLEMES
 
      It times, the media strays from the everyday mayhem and such
 to attempt to kick around people like old Percival Lowell.  There
 are also those who still blame him and his associates for all the
 bad press about life on Mars and such.  I say to these people who
 malign Lowell Observatory's great leaders of the past  that  some
 of the very foundations of modern science was  laid  down  there.
 Percival Lowell was one of the greatest astronomers and  thinkers
 the world has ever known. He had faults, of which I am not  quali
 fied to discuss, and his proponents regard much of the things  he
 was accused of as open questions to his critics.  He  and  others
 did the best they could for the times. Like the man said, what if
 Einstein had a modern calculator!
      In recent years, especially after improved photographic  and
 CCD imaging techniques have become  commonplace,  from  Earth  we
 have begun to finish some of the work of  the  Viking  space  mis
 sions.  Computer enhancement is available for scientific study to
 anyone who owns a PC and within the price range  of  the  average
 amateur astronomer.  Using a frame-grabber and a CCD camera,  one
 can now computer process  and  enhance  old  photographs  of  the
 planets with amazing results. If we only had these before Mariner
 4!
      Except for the major  institutions  and  observatories  this
 work was out of reach for most planetary astronomers. Now we  all
 can participate.  Much of the Viking and  Voyager  space  mission
 data is now available on CD-ROMs and for a  small  cost  one  can
 study to their hearts delight just like the big guys and NASA.
      Yes, we can see craters and volcanoes, even canyons on Mars.
 Although we only suspected these things existed before, they were
 to be validated by Mariner  4  and  after.   Several  well  known
 astronomers did admit to seeing some of these things, but,  after
 the general panic, lies, and deception by the press,  they  would
 not dare come forward with these  observations.   Now,  even  the
 photographs of their time can be made to reveal all these things.
      While I was observing Mars during the 1984  apparition  with
 Lowell's 24-inch Clark refractor, Chick Capen gave me the details
 of his encounter with Martian astroblemes while he was  at  McDon
 ald Observatory in 1969.  For a brief account of  his  discussion
 and other, read "Hunting Martian Astroblemes," Astronomy,  Septem
 ber 1986.  At the time we were photographing the  Red  Planet  at
 f/75 with the International Planetary  Patrol  Camera  and  could
 only observe at 830x.  While I  am  not  happy  with  Flagstaff's
 seeing for the most  part,  we  encountered  perfect  seeing  one
 morning and began to draw Mars. At one instant, I looked  at  the
 Red Planet -- God of War -- and saw, plain as  day,  a  bunch  of
 craters in and just north of Syrtis Major!  My mind flashed  back
 at what must have struck others when confronted with this!  Chick
 understood.
      What follows is an excerpt from  "Mellish and Barnard - They
 Did See Martian Craters!" by Roger W. Gordon, JALPO, Vol.  25,  9
 10, p. 197.  A portion of Mellish's quotation:
 
     "There is something wonderful about Mars.  It is not flat,
 but has many craters and cracks.  I saw a lot of the craters and
 mountains with the 40" [Yerkes refractor] and could hardly be-
 lieve my eyes.  That was after sunrise and Mars was high in a
 splendid sky.  I used a power of 750 and after seeing all the
 wonders, I went to Barnard and showed him my drawings, and told
 him what I had seen.  I had never heard of any such thing ever
 having been seen, and he laughed and told me he would show me his
 drawing made at Lick in 1892-93.  He showed me the most wonderful
 drawings that were ever made of Mars.  The mountain ranges and
 peaks and craters and other things, both dark and light, that no
 one knows what they were.  I was thunderstruck and asked him why
 he and  never published these.  He [Barnard] said, no one would
 believe him and [others] would only make fun of it.  Lowell's
 oases are crater pits with water in them, and there are hundreds
 of brilliant mountains shining in the sunlight.  Barnard took
 whole nights to draw Mars and would study as interesting section
 from early in the evening when it was coming on the disk until
 morning, when it was leaving.  He made the drawings four and five
 inches [in] diameter and it is a shame that those were not pub-
 lished.  I do not know as anyone would be allowed to even look at
 them now.  They are at Yerkes and will stay burried I suppose."
 
     If we all could only be there!
 
Jeff Beish