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Washington, July 27 – March can be observed by the human eye with the utmost clarity The last 15 years from this midnight, thanks to the orbits of the two planets have made that They are at the closest point in this period, explained today to Efe NASA scientist Gerónimo Villanueva.
"Mars it approaches the Earth every two years, but at that moment, it will approach its orbit more than the other times and we will see it very bright and bigger than usual" Villanueva says, an astronomer of Argentinian origin Goddard Space Center of NASA
According to expert calculations, Mars will be about 57.6 million kilometers on Tuesday, July 31, compared to 100 millions of kilometers on other dates of the year. calendar
However, people will see this "private" event from midnight today.
"To do this, they should look at the moon and, to their right, they can find a red-orange dot brighter than normal-Mars-and, next, another planet: Saturn" detailed the scientific planet.
This astronomical phenomenon, which will be restored in 2033 occurs due to "relatively simple" circumstances, according to Villanueva
The Earth rotates around the sun each year (terrestrial) and Mars both , so the two planets are aligned and are closer than usual.
However, the orbit of Mars is "very eccentric", that is to say that there are times when it is farther away from the Sun and others more close, compared to the variation of the Earth.
of the red planet, one of the most irregular of the solar system, and the Earth is aligned with the Sun synchronously every fifteen years.
From NASA, this opportunity represents a great opportunity for Hubble Space Telescope researchers, who operate "at their best" since its inception. launch in 1990.
"Hubble allows us to observe the Solar System and outside of it for a long time; it's a very comprehensive information platform that helps us understand , for example, how climates are changing in different planets, "said Villanueva.
In the case of Mars, Hubble captured an image last week where it is seen that The Red Planet is covered by a huge cloud of dust , which led to a "global storm" in this world.
This knowledge is "very important" to the US space agency, which owns a series of robots on the Martian surface.
NASA In fact, recently lost touch with the rover explorer "Opportunity", which uses solar panels as a source of energy.
Because of this Hubble-documented dust storm, "Opportunity "" It does not operate the necessary solar light and hibernation until its panels were cleaned and the Martian atmosphere was clarified. "
One of the greatest objectives of all, such as this research, without no doubt, it is the arrival of man to Mars the planet that these weeks can be clearly observed by millions of people of the Earth.
This mission to Mars of "very logistical complex" would last 3 years because, with the current technology, it takes 6 months to get there. "
Once the astronaut has reached Mars, both planets would not be aligned, so you should wait two years for it to be
In addition to the 6 months back, the NASA scientist reminded that he should build a launch pad on Mars , a kind of Cape Canaveral on the surface of Mars.We are working so that within 10 to 20 years, we can send the first man or the first woman to Mars "said Villanueva, who predicted that this person "has not yet arrived at the university". anonymous, without his aberlo, will be at midnight to March, the planet that will try to conquer in the coming decades.
Alex Segura Lozano, EFE
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