I realize there has been quite the dry spell between issues 1 and 2 of the current volume of the MarsWatch Newsletter. I have been working in part on trying to procure a machine to host the MarsWatch web and ftp sites. However, the newsletter is back and I will try to keep it up on at least a monthly basis from here on through at least the end of 2001. I suspect that during the height of the opposition there may be several quick announcements between newsletters. Please note that content of newsletter will depend on all of you observers - I hope this can become a central location where you will be able to let others know of all the interesting discoveries you are making in your observations. Just e-mail your comments and information to me and I will collect it all together to pass on to everyone getting this newsletter.

Here's wishing us all happy holidays and Clear Skies!

I would like to thank the Astroleague for hosting the 1999 MarsWatch site and especially Bert Stevens for his tireless efforts during the last opposition at getting all the image up for viewing with a surprisingly short turn-around time. I hope I will be able to live up to the standard you set.

The current incarnation of the site was inspired in form by both Bert's version from 1999 and the 1994/5 web site which was designed and run by Jim Bell - your former MarsWatch newsletter editor. If you have any advice on how to deal with the deluge of images, let me know!

At the bottom of this, and subsequent newsletters, you will see links to all the MarsWatch sites. Be sure to check them out.

A second tool is Jim Bell's Mars Now web page at http://clamcake.tn.cornell.edu/marsview.cgi which will show you what Mars should look like for just about any date and time. The image produced is based on the Viking albedo maps and is a great way to get oriented.

If you have other suggestions of sites that will help out in making our observations, please pass them along.