From
Elisabeth SIEGEL
@. . . . . . . .
Thank you for continuing to send me the CMO, even though I haven't contributed
to your Mars Section this year. I truly appreciate that. I tried to observe
Mars a few times this summer, even though it wasn't visible from my backyard at
all, so I had to carry the telescope up on a nearby hill to see it. But it was
hopeless, with the planet just 7ﾟabove the horizon. It is so ironic - now I've been
observing Mars since 1988, with not much happening there; but when I finally
miss an apparition, the most spectacular dust storm occurs.
Well, that's life, I guess. Actually, the
whole year of 2001 has been a bad one, both on a global level and on a more
personal level for me. My mother (aged 80) was very sick all spring, but
finally recovered completely - only to suffer a thrombosis of the heart in late
summer, that very nearly killed her, and left her with a very weak heart. Then
came September 11, which was a tremendous shock to us all and caused me much
anxiety and depression for quite a while. In October, my father (aged 85) fell
down the stairs in my parents' home and was hospitalized with a broken leg. In
November,
So, as you can probably guess, there hasn't
been very much energy left for Mars observations, even though it's now much
better placed in the sky. I'm very sorry - but hopefully, the 2003 apparition
will see me back on the track again.
I wish you and your family a very happy New
Year,
Sincerely
(
Elisabeth SIEGEL (Malling, Danmark )