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Credit & Copyright: Howard C. Anderson
(Astroshow.com)
Explanation:
Mars won't look this good.
Tonight and over the next few days, when
Mars is at its
closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years,
you might get your
best view ever of our planetary neighbor.
Please, though, don't expect to see
this much structure,
or expect to see Mars rotate so much in so brief a period.
The above 20-frame movie was created from 1000 frames
of a backyard webcam that were meticulously aligned,
added, and digitally sequenced.
Pictured,
Mars appears to rotate in a time-lapse sequence,
with each frame separated by 30 minutes of real time.
In reality, one full Martian rotation --
a Martian day --
is only about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day.
For those with access to a small telescope,
here
is how mars will really look.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars
Publications with words: Mars
See also: