Mars to Appear Normal This August
Will Mars appear extremely close and bright later this month? No.
Regardless of numerous urban legends circulating, Mars will a
relatively normal August. October is the best month to see Mars
this year. The red planet is now visible in the morning before
sunrise. As Earth catches up to Mars in their respective orbits
around the Sun, Mars will keep rising earlier in the night. On 2005
October 30, Earth will have caught up to Mars and the planets will
be the nearest to each other in their orbits -- this time around.
On October 30, Mars will be nearly opposite to the Sun, rise at
sunset, set at sunrise, and appear highest and brightest around
midnight. Also on October 30, Mars will appear brighter than it has
in the past two years, although still over 10,000 times smaller and
fainter than the full Moon. Earth will then pass Mars, and Mars
will appear to fade. Pictured above, Mars is shown as it appeared
2003 August 27, when it appeared slightly brighter than it had in
nearly 60,000 years. The foreground setting is in the Valley of
Fire state park in Nevada, USA. The ellipticity of orbits primarily
determines the closeness and brightness of Mars during
opposition.
Credit &
Copyright: Wally Pacholka (Astropics.com)
