[ad_1]
Mars is now a beacon of red light in the southeast sky. If it sounds unusually bright – that's it! The red planet has not been this close to us since 2003.
Yesterday, March was in opposition. At this point, the planet is at the opposite of the sun and is in the sky all night. You can easily spot Mars in the southeast sky. It should be above the treetop around 22:30. It is highest in the south at 1:15 am and should be visible until 4 am in the southwest sky.
Mars is the closest to Earth on Tuesday. It will be 35.8 million miles from us. It has not been close to us in 15 years and will not be even until 2035. However, do not dwell on the approach closely. Mars is now at its maximum size and will remain so until August 18th.
As Mars approaches, astronomers worry about the weather. Not only here on Earth, but also on Mars. This week, we had some summer rains that should continue next week, which could ruin our vision of the night sky. Meanwhile, on Mars, there is a major dust storm underway. The storm has been raging for over a month and has covered almost the entire planet with dust. There is so much dust in the atmosphere that the details are hidden from view. The dust also prevents sunlight from reaching the solar panels of NASA's Launcher Opportunity, forcing it to stay asleep since June 10 (the Curiosity rover continues to operate during the storm) [19659002]
Side-by-side films show how the red planet was shrouded in dust, thanks to the Mars Color Imager camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) of NASA
Dust storms like this one are not unusual for Mars. About every 6 to 8 years old, a small storm can become so big that it surrounds the entire planet. The last time we saw this happen in 2007. This storm started very early (May 30th) and has been strong since June 20th. Scientists have recently seen signs of a storm beginning to weaken, but some believe that the storm could last until early September
The good thing about the March sighting is that you do not have the weather. do not need black skies. You just need a good view to the south. A telescope with a magnification of 75 to 100 power will be needed to get a view of all the details. As mentioned, the dust will probably hide some of the dark and dark features that we will usually see on the Martian surface. The southern icecap should be visible despite the storm.
Parade of the Planets
Although this storm alters our vision of the red planet, keep in mind that we still have a magnificent view of the parade of planets that is currently spreading through the summer sky. 19659011] The four brightest planets are spread in the summer sky. Around 9:30 pm, you can see Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars spread across the southern half of the sky, from west to southeast. Starrynight.com
Venus loses altitude now still easily visible in the west sky after sunset. You should be able to spot it as soon as it starts to get dark. Jupiter is not so bright but can be easily located in the southwestern sky. It's in the constellation Libra. The best time to see is between 9 and 23 hours. The big red spot is visible tonight at 23:30, then again on Tuesday at 21h. and Thursday at 10:30 pm
Although not as bright as the other planets, Saturn reigns over the southern sky. It is located just above the lid of the teapot shape in the constellation Sagittarius. Its spectacular rings are visible even at low magnification. And then, as mentioned, Mars is low in the southeast sky after sunset in the constellation Capricornus.
These four make a beautiful planetary display – do not miss it!
Kevin D. Conod is the director of planetarium and astronomer at the Dreyfuss Planetarium of the Newark Museum. For night sky updates, call Newark Skyline at (973) 596-6529.
