Late 'night' Phoenix Observations. Options

[Paul Fjeld]

I'm trying to suss out the anti-sun sky near midnight and I'm not sure if I'm interpreting some of the 'blocky' SSI pics right. From Mark's site, SOL 49, this is a view straight at the sun at 1:00am. This was taken about a half hour later about 20 degrees east of anti-sun. To my eye, the at-sun shot gross variations in value compare reasonably well with the high rez pic gradations taken earlier. It's filter was L3 450.8 (solar/dust). The second picture, taken through the L5 887.0 filter (solar/dust+water), seems to indicate that the sky brightens as elevation >increases<. At least me looking at a 'lego block tower' shot with fredk's take on the lack of shadows in the RAC midnight pics in my head, makes me think that's what I'm looking at. Is the data too skimpy? (What, 15 pixels ...?) Anybody see what I'm seeing? Should I read up on filters?

Paul

[3488]

Hi all,

I have worked on this image, with contrast & a little cropping, centreing the Due North point.

Looking Due North @ 11:09 PM / 23:09 local time in Scandia Colles.

North Pole is approx 1,303 KM / 809 miles straight up the centre. Sun is off to the left.


Andrew Brown.

[Paul Fjeld]

Huzzah! Near midnight (+13 min) pics! Also from 2:35 am and 4:27 am.

Weird shadow action - washed out at low sun, more distinct as the sun rises. Still can't figure out the sky stuff anti-sun but it must be brighter at midnight.

My attempt at a color shot:



Full size.

I don't know what the 2-Blue filter does to the final colors instead of the surface C-Blue filter. Anyway. Hope the official color one comes out soon!

Paul

[Stu]

I had a go at animating colourised versions I made of that scene...

"Midnight Shadows"...

[Ant103]

Nice gif Stu

Here is my version in a board .

[ElkGroveDan]

"Midnight Shadows"...

Are those anything like "Moon Shadows"? (maybe it's time for some of your verse, Stu.)

[Gray]

Thanks Ant. I like the side-by-side comparison.

[mars loon]

Midnight Sun from Phoenix



http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/images/gallery/md_15233.jpg

just appeared at UA website:

"The solar images were taken between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., local solar time, during the nights of sols 46 to 56. composite of Sols 46 to 54"

[Stu]

Awwwwwwwwww, sooooooooooooooooooo cool!!!! I have waited a long, long time to see that!

[3488]

Awwwwwwwwww, sooooooooooooooooooo cool!!!! I have waited a long, long time to see that!

Same here, in fact it was something I requested prior to Phoenix's arrival. Thank you so very much guys for bringing that here & for continuing the discussion.

I thought that this would make for an interesting subject & pleased by the response at UMSF, that I was not deluded or wrong.

Thank you all for welcoming me back, I was a little nervous at first, but I am amongst friends here & it shows.

Andrew Brown.

[Stu]

Just a bit of fun...

[fredk]

Very cool midnight sun composite. Interesting to have a sort of "through the welder's glass" view, with everything so dark that the sun's disk is visible without glare/overexposure. I wonder if any attempt was made to provide correct relative intensity of the foreground/sky and suns, or if it was just done "aesthetically". The solar disks in the image are dimmer near midnight, more or less as I'd expect. But my guess is that the foreground (from Peter pan) is somewhat too bright. It would be nice to see a (necessarily faked) more traditional midnight sun composite as well, with the foreground and sky fully exposed and brighter solar disks. (Of course the Peter pan was shot afternoon-ish, so the shadows wouldn't be right...)

[Astro0]

I'm working on it - the still and the movie!
Astro0

[imipak]

Wow, exactly what I was thinking of! (post #6) As I began by admiring Stu's colourisation for a couple of minutes before flipping to the previous tab with the release image, the greys appeared a beautiful pale blue/green before my colour balance adjusted... powerfully atmospheric, like a half-remembered dream of a misty moonlit night.

It brings back and old day-dream... carpet Mars with a few dozen very cheap, simple, "nothing but images" devices. I know, I know, there are dozens of reasons it can't be done, not least the very limited science return vs the cost. *sigh*

EDIT: Astro0 - looking forward to that immensely!

[Stu]

Nice gif Stu

Thanks Chuffed they've chosen it for use on Spaceweather.com today