The red planet will not seem so good through any telescope, but since it is closer to Earth, it is now the best time this year to observe it. Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS
On January 15, Mars will reach a point in its orbit that astronomers call opposition. That evening, Mars will face the sun from our perspective. He will take to sunset, reach his highest point at midnight and set at dawn.
It doesn’t matter when you go out, Mars will be somewhere in the sky. And it will also be quite bright. This is because in opposition, Mars is closer to the earth as it will get during this orbit. The closest approach occurs three days before, on January 12th.
Big and luminous
On the 15th, Mars will shine at the magnitude -1.4, essentially equaling the luminance of the brightest night star, Sirius, which is found in the constellation of Canis Major The Great Dog. You will find that star reason roughly a quarter of the road through the sky south of Mars.
Mars will also appear larger than any other time this year. Astronomes use corners to measure the interval of celestial objects. In opposition, the diameter of the Red Planet will be 14.6 arcaseconds, generally written as 14.6 ″. This is not much. To make a comparison, 1 ″ is the underground discharge angle from a mile away.
To see any detail on Mars, even in opposition, you will need at least one medium -sized telescope, an eye that enlarges about 100 times and a night of good vision (atmospheric stability). If the air is unstable, the stars will have a lot of time and the details – also through a telescope – will be swept away.
The heaven that changes
There is another way to observe Mars, and this does not require a telescope. Note the position of Mars compared to the two bright stars above it. That couple is made of ricino and pollux, who mark the heads of the twins constellation of the twins. Once the position of the planet is noticed, go out every few nights for a month. You will see Mars move slowly to the west through twins compared to Castor and Pollux.
However, watch it, go to take a look at the red planet and perhaps ask if the robotic spatial will ever find evidence of microscopic life there. Do not wait for the next opposition from Mars, which will not happen until February 19, 2027. It will be a little thinner and smaller then, so now it’s time. Good luck!
