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We quickly arrive at the peak of the current appearance of Mars, when it gets in opposition to the sun and its closest point to the Earth. But is time going to cooperate so that you can better see Mars at its best?
First, be aware that the best views of Mars will not be limited to one night. Mars will come in opposition to the sun – when it will rise at sunset, reach its highest point in the sky in the middle of the night and set at sunrise – Friday, July 27. However, as Earth and Mars follow elliptical orbits around the sun, the closest approach to the Earth usually occurs several days before or after the opposition. In this case, Mars will come within 35,784,481 miles (57,589,547 kilometers) of the Earth four days after the opposition, at 3:50 am EDT (0750 GMT) on Tuesday (July 31). It will then take a beam of light of only 3 minutes and 12 seconds to cross the interplanetary gulf between Earth and Mars.
So you'll have five nights, from Friday to Tuesday, to have your best views. [Mars at Opposition 2018: How to See It and What to Expect]
Weather Forecast
Nationally, it appears that western states will have the best weather during this period; more often than not, the sky for this region should be mostly clear. It will be another story, however, about central and especially eastern states, where slow frontal systems, interacting with a very hot, humid air that sweeps north of the tropics, will produce considerable clouds and widespread showers and thunderstorms. . And yet, even near and along the east coast, where clouds and showers will predominate, there will be opportunities to take a look at the second-smallest planet in the solar system.
For the latest National Weather Service forecasts, check out their web page; Find the region of the country you are in and click on the forecast office in your area.
There is a striking difference between the March 2016 vision (without the dust storm) and 2018 [19659009] Credit: Frank J. Melillo
Your best views of Mars, however, could be with your eyes alone. At present, even with the help of a large telescope, the view can be disappointing due to a planetwide dust storm in its eighth week, which obscures virtually all surface details on the planet. Although astronomers tell me that the worst of the storm has passed, there is still a good amount of airborne dust that masks the most important and well known Martian features. It can take at least a month or more for dust to stabilize enough to see the details of the physical features of the planet clearly.
A view of Mars on July 21, 2018 illustrates how skywatchers will not be able to discern many distinct features during this opposition because of the planetary dust storm.
Credit: Frank J. Melillo
Dust even changed the appearance to the naked eye of Mars. Normally, when Mars becomes as bright as it is now, it appears in a distinct orange-red color. But those who have seen it recently say that it seems closer to yellow-orange, a shade similar to the color of ginger ale – certainly not a hue befitting the popular nickname of Mars, the red planet .
A slow decline in prominence
Even after July 31st, the inevitable fade-down of Mars will initially be gradual. In fact, it will continue to shine at its maximum expected magnitude of -2.8 until August 3. And it will surpass Jupiter again – the planet usually second in brightness only to Venus – until September 5th. Mars will continue to compete with Sirius, the brightest of all stars, until September 24th. In apparent size, as late as August 24, Mars will appear (telescopically) at least 90% as large as the night of the closest approach. [How to Use Mobile Apps to Watch Mars’ Closest Approach Since 2003]
Next time.
March's next opposition will come on October 13, 2020. This event could be an even more favorable opportunity for northern observers compared to now because Mars will appear more than 30 degrees higher up in the sky than it is today. # 39; hui. (Your fist closed at arm's length equals about 10 degrees, so in the fall of 2020, Mars will be "three fists" higher than now.) And Mars will be only 2.79 million miles (4.49 millions of km) further from Earth compared to this month's opposition; he will appear to shine almost as brightly and, in telescopes, almost as tall as he does now.
Interestingly, there is a long-term cycle of 79 years where the circumstances of any particular opposition of Mars will be reproduced almost exactly. On July 27, 1939, for example, Mars made an approach as close to Earth as this year. In fact, at its closest in 1939, it was just 277,000 miles (437,000 km) farther from Earth than this year on July 31. And 79 years from now, August 3, 2097, Mars will once again approach Earth, actually 287,000 miles (462,000 km) closer than this year.
Oh no! "The hoax" is back
Over the last 14 summers, many have received an email titled "Mars Spectacular", which circulated on the Internet from an anonymous source. In turn, this message was passed on to others who could not resist transmitting their entire address book. The annual e-mail message still states that on August 27, Mars will be closer to Earth than in the last 60,000 years, providing spectacular views of the red planet. The commentary even proclaims, with liberal use of exclamation points, that Mars will appear as bright (or as large as) the full moon. But this is wrong for several reasons: First, this "August 27" is actually August 27, 2003. Mars made a historic pass near the Earth that night. And second, during this approach, he appeared as he does now to the naked eye – similar to a very bright star, but nothing like a full moon.
This year, there is a change of pace. The date of the Mars hoax has been changed to align with this month's opposition, running from August 27 to July 27. And it's published not only with a simple email, but on a complete web page. The false announcement that Mars will appear as big as the full moon tonight – and that the event occurs once every 34,978 years – is now circulating on all social media platforms.
If you have seen it, or if someone sent it to you, ignore it or, better yet, delete it.
In a sense, it's a vaccination. If you are mistaken in sending it to your friends and family, you will be less likely to send them the next "hard to believe" web ad you receive, which may not be as good. harmless!
Editor's Note : If you take an amazing photo of Mars and want to share it with Space.com for a story or a photo gallery, send comments and images to spacephotos @ space.com.
Joe Rao is an instructor and guest lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium in New York. He writes on astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications, and he is also a meteorologist on camera for Verizon FiOS1 News in the Lower Hudson Valley in New York. York. Follow us on @Spacedotcom Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com
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