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A Communication Satellite Looks Into the Night Sky
Getty Images
Mars is about to approach the Earth since 2003, offering casual viewers an easy view on the back of the planet. visibly red-orange to the naked eye.
Mars will come closer to Earth, and will appear at its peak on the night of July 27th. But it is already the second brightest planet (after Venus) and is becoming more and more nocturnal
It is brighter than any star.
On his closest approach, he will appear in front of the sun in our sky, making the entire planet visible (like a full moon), and this improves the brightness.
Astronomer Gary Boyle calls the July 27 event "the greatest celestial event of the year".
Here's how the close approach works:
Think of the Earth and Mars as two runners around a track, with the sun in the middle of the infield. The earth has the inner way and makes a turn once a year. Mars, in the outer track, moves in the same direction but more slowly.
Most of the time, the Earth and Mars are on different parts of the track, sometimes even on opposite sides. But every 26 months, the Earth pbades Mars inland. It happens on July 27th.
But what makes this year special, is that every 15 years, Mars and Earth are getting closer even than other close pbades, variation that occurs because our orbits are not round. This makes Mars a little brighter and more orange.
Here is NASA:
"It's the point of the orbit of Mars when it gets closer to the Earth." Mars will be at a distance of 35.8 million miles (57 , 6 million kilometers.) Mars reaches its highest point around midnight – about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, a third of the distance between the horizon and the clouds. during much of the night.
"In mid-August, Mars will become weaker as Mars and Earth move away from each other in their orbits around the Sun. "
wait for the exact night, this show has already started, and this week's forecasts require a generally clear sky.You just have to pick the right time to search.
Tuesday, March rises in the south. is at 10:15 pm (although it appears a few minutes later if you have trees or buildings nearby) .It moves to the west and is visib the whole night.
He gets up about four minutes earlier each night, arriving at 9:15 pm. on July 27, and continuing to get up earlier each night after that, but slowly darkening.
Mars has been fascinating humans for centuries, notes Boyle, and it's still the first place (after the moon) that space travelers will visit
"Even in the city, people see no problem" , he said. Nothing close will be so bright – except the full moon of July 27, above and to the left of Mars but close enough.
You do not need binoculars or telescopes, although it does improve the view. It is the same for a dark observation place. Expect to see a red-orange dot.
"Any chance that people are watching the night sky, especially in summer in a summer camp or at the cottage, the night sky is a wonderful clbadroom," he said. 19659004] Note: There is also a lunar eclipse on July 27, but it will not be visible in Canada.
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