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Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Mars photo courtesy of Skyscrapers president Steven Hubbard using a 6 inch f / 1
Amateur astronomers eagerly await the most near Mars to the Earth since 2003. On July 31 the distance Earth-Mars will be only 35,785,537 miles. These two planetary neighbors will no longer be so close before 2035, so I'm sure the media will do the apology for the event. It has been more than two years since I wrote on Mars. Why? As is the case with most astronomical things, the events in our solar system occur cyclically. Earth and Mars have a close encounter every 26 months. In recent months, Earth has caught up with Mars in our respective orbits, as Earth rotates around the Sun (one year) in less time than Mars (1.88 years). So Earth goes around Mars. Unfortunately, all the close meetings of Mars are not favorable. This fact is due to the eccentricity of the elliptical orbit of Mars and its distance to the Sun. However, this year's close encounter was going to be splendid! A big deal. I called him Mars Mania.
I spent several weeks preparing a special March observation guide for my August column because even a small backyard telescope would reveal surface markings, including the South Polar polar ice cap. The original version of this article was written in May 2018. (You can find this first version on the Skyscrapers website.) The local observatories also planned special observation sessions to provide the general public with a magnificent view. from this sorry world. ] Unfortunately, a major dust storm started on March 30th. She circled the planet in three weeks and wrapped it up, thus preventing observation of surface details. Even NASA 's Opportunity Rover had to close because the day was turning into night and its solar panels could not produce enough electricity to run.
This circumstance has to do with the Martian seasons. Dust storms are more common in the southern hemisphere of Mars (now inclined towards us), and start in the southern hemisphere from March (now) until summer (which begins October 16). This scenario also coincides in 2018 with Mars at perihelion (closest to the Sun), on September 16th. So for 2018, conditions were favorable for the development of dust storms.
Unfortunately, this dust storm shows no signs of slowing down, and even if it happened soon, once the dust is raised in the fine Martian atmosphere, it takes a long time for these particles to settle. The splendid views of the Martian surface that we had anticipated since the last closest approach in 2003 are now compromised.
Then Mars Mania became a bust of Mars!
more abruptly than originally planned, as there are so many ways to describe the colorless peach-colored "beach ball" that is now Mars.
I will not tell the story of Mars' observations or other space explorations that say the first stories of possible "canals" on Mars in the late 19th century captured our imagination and certainly hastened our exploration of spaceships in this desolate world. If you want a history, visit this link on the Skyscrapers website: http://www.theskyscrapers.org/mars-past-present-and-future.
You can start watching Mars as soon as you read this article. Due to a variety of publication dates, you may have missed the closing approach (July 31). This does not matter, however, especially since the dust storm has obscured the surface of the planet. Be sure to check out the free public viewing sessions at local observatories. Plans were still planned for special Mars observation programs.
Mars will not be difficult to locate in the sky. In fact, due to the greater amount of dust in the atmosphere, Mars is now slightly brighter than expected because the suspended dust reflects more sunlight. On the night of the closest approach, Mars will rise above the southeast horizon after sunset. You can not miss its distinct bright pumpkin-orange color. You should expect to climb higher in the sky and out of any haze of horizon and turbulence. At 22 o'clock Mars will be near 14 degrees above the horizon and waiting for your examination among the stars of the constellation Capricorn. Later in August, he settled in the nearby constellation Sagittarius for a few weeks before heading back to Capricorn.
You can still focus on Mars with a telescope. Further inspection will reveal that the color of the surface is closer to fishing. However, because of the darkening dust, perhaps only a glimpse of Mars' Southern Polar Cap will be detectable. This is a pretty bright white feature that is currently tilted 11 degrees to the Earth. I find it ironic that it is usually our weather that thwarts our plans for an astronomical event!
It is certainly a great disappointment that a Martian dust storm of global proportions must have occurred now. It will be 17 years before Mars is again close to Earth.
Despite the absence of surface markings to observe, I encourage you to take these telescopes out of the basement, attic or garage and to please you. to Mars. One day, they or your grandchildren can put a foot on this exciting landscape. Take an enlightened glimpse into a foreign world that has inspired generations of science fiction astronomers and writers to reflect on the existence of Martian life forms.
If you do not have a telescope, you should do your best to visit the Rhode Island observatories to explore the planets in close-up. We can only hope that Mars' dust shield will shrink over the next few months so we can get a glimpse of some surface features. Regardless, Jupiter and Saturn will continue to reveal their beauty for months to come. Seagrave Memorial Observatory in North Scituate is open every Saturday night clear to observe. Ladd Observatory in Providence must reopen Tuesday, July 10, and every Tuesday clear thereafter. The Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory of the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick is open every Thursday night. Also, consider visiting the Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown every Friday night. Please visit the respective websites for more details. These sightings are free and open to the public
Cleared.
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