Mars at Opposition - Earth at Transitition 210
On August 27th, Mars will be closer to Earth than in all of recorded history. The event is a rare display of orbital events in the cosmic clockwork of space. It is the chance of a lifetime for everyone to go out and see Mars and never before, and never again in our lifetimes!
The event is much more than just an opposition though because Martian oppositions occur about every 25 months.
What makes this opposition so special? This year, the Mars opposition occurs at the same time that Mars is at perihelion, which means Mars, in its orbit, is closest to the Sun and near when Earth is at aphelion (farthest point from Sun.)
At 5:51 a.m. EDT on the night of August 27, 2003, Mars will be within 34,646,418 miles (55,758,006 km) of Earth. To compare this to an earlier opposition: in 2001 when Mars was last at opposition, the red planet was more than 41 million miles (67 million km) from Earth. The most recent perihelion and opposition took place in September 1988 when Mars passed within 36.5 million miles (58.7 million km) of Earth.
When will Mars be this close to Earth again? The next, closer approach will occur on August 28, 2287 when Mars will be 34.62 million miles (55.69 million km) away. But we won't be around for that one, so you don't want to miss this close approach!
When and Where to see Mars - Best viewing is about midnight in the southern sky. One good way to find more precise viewing of Mars as well as identifying the various features, is using Xephem. We put together some tables which include local sunset times and Mars rising times for August 27th for various locations in the US, Europe, Middle East etc...
Currently Mars is moving the opposite direction from all the other planets. While the other plenets appear to be moving towards the east over time, Mars is displaying retrograde motion and moving westward.
Because Mars is so small it's difficult to see details most of the time or in small telescopes. Since Mars is going to be so much closer than usual, even a 4 inch telescope will show details not normally visible. There are also various filters you can use to enhance observing. Mars through a Telescope: Getting the Most from the Red Planet covers what equipment to use and what specific features to look for on Mars.
Although one night has been advertised as "the night" when Mars will be closest, the red planet will appear large and bright for the next few months. Mars will also be changing seasons and that means you will be able to spot changes in surface features over time. It's summer in the southern hemisphere of Mars and the south polar cap is melting rather quickly. If you observe over a period of days you will be able to see the terrain underneath the ice appear.
Go out and enjoy this cosmic show, but you needn't worry about any unexpected cosmic collisions, Mars Will Not Kill You."
Martians! (Score:5, Funny)
well, (Score:3, Funny)
or something...
Speaing of Mars... (Score:-1, Funny)
Oh wait a minute....
Makes me smile. (Score:5, Funny)
I love sentences like that. Mars will be the closest to Earth it's ever been, because Mars will be the closest to Earth it's ever been!
Linux on the desktop (Score:0, Funny)
Mars? (Score:5, Funny)
Mars... A rediculous liberal myth! (Score:-1, Funny)
Documentaries such as Enemy of the State have accurately portrayed the elaborate, byzantine network of surveillance satellites that the liberals have sent into space to spy on law-abiding Americans. Equipped with technology developed by Handgun Control, Inc., these satellites have the ability to detect firearms from hundreds of kilometers up. That's right, neighbors
Of course, this all works fine during the day, but what about at night? Even the liberals can't control the rotation of the Earth to prevent nightfall from setting in (only Joshua was able to ask for that particular favor!) That's where the "Mars" comes in. Powered by nuclear reactors, the "Mars" is nothing more than an enormous balloon, emitting trillions of candlepower of gun-revealing light. Piloted by key members of the liberal community, the "Mars" is strategically moved across the country, pointing out those who dare to make use of their God-given rights at night!
Yes, I know this probably sounds paranoid and preposterous, but consider this. Despite what the revisionist historians tell you, there is no mention of the "Mars" anywhere in literature or historical documents -- anywhere -- before 1950. That is when it was initially launched. When President Josef Kennedy, at the State of the Union address, proclaimed "We choose to go to the Mars", he may as well have said "We choose to go to the weather balloon." The subsequent faking of a "Mars" landing on national TV was the first step in a long history of the erosion of our constitutional rights by leftists in this country. No longer can we hide from our government when the sun goes down.
You mean it's not When Worlds Collide? (Score:5, Funny)
Ha! They say no danger, (Score:0, Funny)
Do you have stairs in your house?
aliens and earth (Score:5, Funny)
What were they thinking? (Score:5, Funny)
Why? NASA asking the public for advice about planetary exploration is like, well, Nerds asking Slashdot for relationship advice.
Re:An astronaut friend (Score:2, Funny)
id software employees . . . (Score:3, Funny)
Carmack is cool, but he ain't an astronaut . . . yet.
Earthquakes (Score:3, Funny)
We had a 7.2 earthquake here in southern New Zealand four days ago -- I need no further proof that mars is trying to kill us all.
[nzherald.co.nz]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?stor
Mars at Opposition (Score:3, Funny)
overheard... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Collisions with Mars? (Score:4, Funny)
Would "fragments of earth" that have been processed into spacecraft and landers and hurdled towards Mars be cause enough for alarm?
Re:aliens and earth (Score:2, Funny)
So from the lack of contact, we can deduce that the aliens are (a) intelligent and (b) commie bastards. :)
Re:You don't need a great telescope... (Score:3, Funny)
D'oh! So that's how it starts! Robotic telescopes will someday evolve to take over and destroy us all!
Quick! Lets burn down the observatory so this never happens!