Tag Archives: Opposition

NASA Space Place: A Close-Up View of Mars

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A Close-Up View of Mars By Jane Houston Jones and Jessica Stoller-Conrad In July 2018, skywatchers can get an up close view of Mars—even without a telescope! In fact, on July 31, Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in 15 years. Why is that? Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars orbit the Sun. Earth is closer to the Sun, and therefore it races along its orbit more quickly. Earth makes two trips around the Sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip. Sometimes the two planets are on opposite sides of the Sun and are very far apart. Other times, Earth catches up with its neighbor and passes relatively close to it. This is called Mars’s closest approach to Earth, and it’s happening this year on July 31. The Moon will be near Mars on that night, too! Keep in mind that even during … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – May 15, 2018

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This entry is part 43 of 51 in the series In the Sky This Week

Mars and Saturn agree that they rather like the early morning sky, and have decided to stay there forever… or so it seems… Jupiter just past opposition, is slowly leaving the morning planets and making its way towards being visible only in the evenings. I was playing with the equatorial grid feature of Stellarium and noticed how close Polaris was to the North Celestial Pole. So, of course, I HAD to see how the South Celestial Pole looked… and I noticed the the southern hemisphere doesn’t have a convenient star near the pole – which led me to find this article on the One-Minute Astronomer about how to find the South Celestial Pole. The Moon The Moon is new on the 15th, and joins Venus in the western sky near sunset as a thin waxing crescent on the 17th. The Moon will be high in the western sky after sunset on the 20th &21st. The Sun Although there is some impressive coronal loop … Continue reading →

In the Sky this Week – May 1, 2018

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This entry is part 41 of 51 in the series In the Sky This Week

The Moon appears in the southwestern predawn sky near Jupiter on May 1st, and makes it way between Mars and Saturn in the southern sky on May 5th. Ursa Major (and the Big Dipper) are in the northwestern predawn sky, and Arcturus is bright in the western sky. Venus remains low in the western sky near sunset. Jupiter can be seen rising the in the eastern sky after sunset. Jupiter will be at opposition on May 9th – its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun, and it will be visible all night long! Sidewalk astronomers from around the world do a collective dance of joy! The Moon The Moon is a waning gibbous just past full; the Moon will be at third quarter on the 8th; May 7-10th would be good days to do some early morning sidewalk astronomy at schools! The Sun The Sun has been spot-free for 2 days. There are coronal holes at both poles, and a small … Continue reading →

Mars Opposition 2016

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Orbital mechanics, being what they are, means that objects orbiting closer to their parent body are moving faster than those orbiting further out: Earth being closer to the Sun, orbits faster than Mars. About every 26 months, the Earth will “catch up to and pass by” Mars. The point where the Earth and another planet are closest in their orbits is called an “opposition.” The best time to observe a planet through a telescope is during an opposition – and that’s happening RIGHT NOW with Mars (May 22, 2016). Groups and individuals across the globe will be holding public “Mars Vigils.” The NASA Night Sky Network has a list of events across the U.S., and Meetup may have listings for your area. I highly encourage everyone on planet Earth to get eyeballs to eyepieces and have a look at the red planet! NASA released this stunning Hubble image of Mars on May 19, 2016 showing cloud formations near Mars’ southern … Continue reading →