Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008jalpo..50d..29v&link_type=abstract
Journal of the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers, The Strolling Astronomer (ISSN 0039-2502), Vol. 50, No. 4, p. 29 - 36
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Mars
Scientific paper
Although data obtained from spacecraft have proven that the seasonal North Polar Cap forms in northern autumn and winter, Earth-based observations in 2007 were consistent with a delay in the formation of the cap until near the time of northern vernal equinox. Such a delay has been observed in previous apparitions. The nonvisibility of the cap prior to late northern winter may be attributed either to an increase in the cap's reflectivity late in the winter, or to extinction of light reflected from the cap by the long viewing path through the Martian atmosphere. The cap was first detected at its southern edge only, and the edge may, in fact, be more reflective of light than the rest of the seasonal cap. A better viewing angle in the 2009-2010 apparition may help to elucidate the cause of the cap's nonvisibility in late winter.
Melka Jim
Venable Roger
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