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Credit & Copyright: Jonathan T. Grayson
Explanation:
Look to the east just after sunset tonight and you'll see a most impressive Mars.
Tonight,
Mars
will appear its biggest and brightest of the year, as Earth passes closer to the
red planet than it has in over two years -- and will be again for another two
years.
In a week,
Mars will be almost as bright -- but at
opposition, meaning that it will be directly opposite the Sun.
Due to the slightly oval shape of the orbits of
Mars and Earth,
closest approach and opposition occur on slightly different days.
The featured image sequence
shows how the angular size of
Mars has grown
during its approach over the past few months.
Noticeably orange,
Mars
is now visible nearly all night long,
reflecting more sunlight toward
Earth than either
Saturn or
Jupiter.
Even at its closest and largest, though,
Mars will still appear over
100 times smaller, in diameter, than a
full moon.
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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: