The red light CCD image of Mars on the left was obtained by Gregory Terrance, an experienced astroimager from Lima, New York, on March 22, 1997 (Ls=93.91, De=22.70, Dia.=14.19") at 03:45 UT (CM=346.3) using a 16-inch (41-cm) f/5 Newtonian reflector coupled with a Celestron PixCel 255 CCD camera. The effective focal ratio (EFR) was approximately f/20 and the exposure 0.07 seconds. Visible albedo features upon the disk include the small, but brilliant North Polar Cap (NPC) surrounded by a dark collar. Sinus Sabaeus is prominent on the central meridian (CM) towards the southern limb preceding (p.) an equally dark Sinus Meridiani. Syrtis Major is prominently dark towards the p., or evening, limb with Iapygia Viridis and Deltoton Sinus visible to the south. The Utopia-Cecropia-Ortygia region appears as a dark, curvilinear albedo feature north of Syrtis Major p. the CM. Margaritifer Sinus and Oxia Palus appears as a dark, triangular-shaped albedo feature on the South-following (Sf.) limb. Mare Acidalium and Niliacus Lacus appear prominent towards the following (f.), or morning, limb. The Boreosyrtis-Protonilus-Ismenius Lacus-Deuteronilus complex appears as a dark to dusky, knotted band just north of the center of the image.
The RGB image (exposure times of 0.07 seconds (red),
0.15 seconds (green), and 0.20 seconds (blue)) on the right was also obtained
at 03:45 UT (CM=346.3) using the same equipment as above. The dark albedo
features are similar to those described above but more readily visible are
clouds over Libya (p. limb), Hellas (Sp. limb), Chryse-Xanthe (f. limb),
and Tempe (Nf. limb).