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The Planet that Won't Go Away
Huntsville - Sep 09, 2003 Mars' closest approach to Earth was on August 27th--but the red planet is even easier to see now. "Tony, it's still there. I can't believe how bright it is!" That's what my mother said to me on the phone last night. She had just stepped outside for some fresh air and was startled by an orange star hanging over her house: Mars--so intense it was worth a phone call. Like millions of other people, she saw Mars for the first time on August 27th when the red planet made its closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years. It was dazzling, but ... "isn't Mars supposed to be gone now?" No, Mom. In fact, Mars is even easier to see now than it was two weeks ago. Consider this: Mars is receding from Earth at about 6,000 mph (2. 8 km/s). Maybe that sounds fast, but on the vast scale of the solar system it is not. Mars was 34,647,397 miles from Earth on August 27th. Today it is 35,532,907 miles away--not much different. That's why Mars remains dazzling. It's still nearby. In fact, during the whole month of September Mars will be as close to Earth as it's going to get for the next 15 years. Best of all, Mars getting easier to see. Why? Because it's up before bedtime. Like all stars and planets Mars rises about 4 minutes earlier each night. (This is a result of Earth's orbital motion around the sun.) Back on August 27th, Mars was barely above the horizon at sunset; you had to wait a while for it to rise. Now, though, Mars is higher in the sky when the sun goes down. People are noticing the red planet without even trying. Eventually, of course, Mars is going to fade. By late September it will be only half as bright as it is now, and by mid-October only 20%. The fading quickens because Mars is receding a little faster each day. Only 6,000 mph now, the pace will increase nearly 3-fold to 16,500 mph (7.4 km/s) by the end of this month. All these factors add up to one thing: September is a good time to observe Mars. Even a modest backyard telescope, a 6- to 8-inch instrument, say, will reveal broad details on the planet's surface such as dark volcanic terrains and the bright south polar cap. Larger 12- to 16-inch telescopes equipped with CCD cameras can record spectacular images of individual volcanoes, wispy clouds and frosty mountains emerging near the south pole. Or if you're like my mom, not ready to deal with telescopes, just use your naked eye. The planet that won't go away is a lovely sight no matter how you look at it. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
Spirit Heading To 'Home Plate'
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 09, 2006Last week Spirit completed robotic-arm work on "El Dorado." The rover used all three of its spectrometers plus the microscopic imager for readings over the New Year's weekend. |
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