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ATLANTA, GA – There is so much going on in heaven right now that it's hard to know what to focus on, but for now, we suggest you focus on Mars, the red dot you saw dancing the sky night. It gets brighter at night and reaches opposition with the Earth this weekend. The weather forecast in the Atlanta area is favorable to airing Saturday night, so we should have a good show.
The Saturday night forecast predicts a cloudy sky with a minimum around 69.
As NASA explains: Mars and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth.On our view on our rotating planet, Mars rises to the east, as the sun sets to the west.Then, after staying in the sky all night, Mars lies to the west, at the moment where the sun rises in the east, since Mars and the sun appear on the opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in opposition. If Earth and Mars followed perfectly circular orbits, the opposition would be as close as the two planets could get it. "
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Mars and Earth are in opposition about once every two years, but it's an extra-special year because Mars is at perihelion, or its closest, which occurs only about fifteen years ago.The last time Mars was so close was in 2003.
Because the Earth and Mars have elliptical orbits, the opposition and the closest approach to the red planet do not always occur at the same time.March will be the most near Earth around 4 pm on Tuesday, July 31, according to EarthSky.org
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March moves more slowly, taking about two terrestrial years for a trip around the sun, but if the orbit takes place in a perfect circle, the opposition will occur
The brilliant crimson orb is visible since the month of but it will be clearer in opposition than when it approaches the most. This is because of the angle under which sunlight hits.
In 2003, when Mars came close to Earth, a meme circled the Internet that said it would be as big as the moon, according to Space.com. It is likely to resurface but just ignore it. The planet will be big, bright and beautiful, but keep in mind that Mars is half of the Earth.
SEE ALSO: 2018 Guide to meteorite rains, other sky shows
You will not need any special equipment like a telescope or binoculars to see it. Just look at it and be dazzled. And if you miss it, Mars will continue to be brilliant for about a month after the opposition.
The Delta Aquarids meteor shower will also culminate on Saturday night. Consider this as a general rehearsal of the Perseid meteor shower, a typically prolific sky show that continues until August 24th and culminates from August 12th to 13th.
This means that you can see meteors every time you look at the starry sky over the next few weeks
Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA) , J. Bell (ASU) and M. Wolff (Institute of Space Science) [19659018] Receive the newsletter of Atlanta
