[ad_1]
Better visibility
Visibility is best when Mars is at the point in its orbit closest to the Sun when it meets Earth, the so-called perihelion. So Earth can get closer to Mars in less than 56 million kilometers (for comparison: this year the shortest distance is 62.1 million kilometers). Such “perihelion opposition” only occurs every 15 to 17 years, most recently in 2003 and 2018. However, this constellation can be observed unfavorably from Central Europe because Mars is only very low in the sky.
That is why the encounter after the “Perihelion Opposition” is a privileged fact in this country: “The earth is very close to Mars and the planet is significantly higher in the sky, making it much easier to observe. in our latitudes, “says Pikhard.
Mars will be pretty lonely in the sky for the next several weeks, there are hardly any brighter stars around it. At dusk it rises in the east, rises south toward midnight, reaches more than half the height of the sky, and is brighter than Jupiter sinking in the southwest. At dawn, Mars descends to the west.
The weather has to play along
However, with the naked eye, you cannot see anything other than the bright reddish point of light; you need a larger telescope to get details. Whoever has one can expect a clear view of the surface of Mars this time. A global dust storm like the one that occurred in 2018 usually only occurs when the planet is close to the sun, that is, when there is a “perihelion opposition,” the expert said.
You just have to play with the earth’s climate. Even in the next opposition in December 2022, Earth will only approach the red planet to 81 million kilometers, so Mars will appear 20 percent smaller than this year. As close as this year, Earth will only return to Mars in June 2033. However, because it is a “perihelion opposition”, the planet can only be seen from Central Europe near the horizon. “Visibility will not be as cheap as this year until September 2035,” Pikhard said.
