[ad_1]
Tuesday night, lovers of stars and curious will be able to admire the naked eye Mars as they have rarely had the opportunity in recent years. The red planet will indeed be close to Earth as it has never been in 15 years. More precisely, Mars will be at a distance of 57 million kilometers, says Nasa in one of its publications.
Get outside TONIGHT to see Mars as it approaches Earth closer than it has been in 15 years! Here's what you need to know: https://t.co/RCvRNZE9TH
Cloudy skies? Watch it online LIVE NOW: https://t.co/FTSHEGteEmpic.twitter.com/WxWiyp60zx
– NASA (@NASA) July 31, 2018
Two elliptical orbits . The concept of "being close" is quite relative, recalls the US space agency, especially when it comes to the Universe. Thus, while the distance of 57 million km may seem enormous, it seems more modest when compared to the distance of 260 million km that separates the blue planet to the maximum from its red-faced sister.
But why such differences in distances? The Earth and Mars both have an elliptical orbit around the Sun and in this space dance, they sometimes "brush".
When the Sun, the Earth and Mars are aligned . Tuesday night will happen what astronomers call a Martian opposition: that is to say, the Sun, the Earth and Mars will be aligned, a meeting that takes place only every 15-17 years, says NASA. Result: the red planet will shine more than usual and will be the second brightest star behind the Moon, from the middle of the night until the early morning.
Record beaten in 2287? The distance reached in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday will however not beat those of previous editions.
In 2003, during the previous opposition martian, 55.6 million km had separated the two planets. The record belongs to a distant past: 60,000 years ago, Mars and Earth had approached 54.5 million km. According to astrophysicists' calculations, this record could be beaten in … 2287.
Source link
