The planet Mars has reached its opposition today. Sun-Earth-Mars are in a straight line now. Although this time the transit altitude is not so high with only 33° above the south horizon, it is still the best period to look at this wonderful red planet. The angular apparent size is 15.1″. Small but it won’t get any bigger this time around.
Have a look at the picture I took on April 5th. You can clearly see the polar ice cap, the darker mountainous features and some morning clouds on the western horizon. The image is a combination of individual R, G and B frames and infrared as luminance layer.
Bart Delsaert - Astrophotography 