[ad_1]
by Josélia Pegorim and Marcos Calil
During the month of October 2020, Brazilians will be able to contemplate the planet with the naked eye or with a telescope. Mars glowing brightly in the sky.
Enjoy it, because it is easy to find the red planet in the sky and astronomical conditions will only allow you to see Mars as bright as it is now, in the years 2033 and 2035.
Dry weather is good for sky gazing
Want another reason to “hang out” with Mars this first weekend in October 2020? This mass of dry air that still acts strongly on Brazil keeps the rain away from most of the country.
Whoever is in Greater Curitiba, Greater São Paulo, the entire eastern coast of this state, in the south of Minas and in Rio de Janeiro must take advantage of the good weather conditions. for the observation of Mars on Friday, October 2 at night and on Saturday, 3 in the morning, because a cold front is approaching and will fill the sky with clouds starting this Saturday morning.
Live shows of the moon near Mars
Further, on the nights of October 02 and 29 the Moon will be close to Mars, providing a beautiful spectacle in the sky. But it will undoubtedly be in Shift from 02 to 03 October that the show will be even better. This is because observers located on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Argentina and southern South America will be able to contemplate the hiding of Mars by the Moon.
In the rest of Brazil, we will have a beautiful show of Mars approaching the Moon and that will be broadcast live by Prof. Marcos Calil.
Live will begin the night of October 2, at 11:55 p.m. Access and don’t miss this beautiful event!
The planet Mars is especially bright in October 2020
Who will be able to observe?
Any observer located in Brazil, regardless of whether the city has light pollution or not.
Why is Mars so bright?
Each planet has its own movement. Due to the translational movements that the planets develop around the Sun, when observed from Earth, they cause some planetary configurations. It is precisely a Very special position in which the planet Mars is at this time that favors us to observe this planet in its splendor.
In sunrise on October 6, at 3 am, 14 minutes, 17 seconds, the shortest distance between the center of the Earth and the center of Mars will occur, with 0.4149 astronomical units, which corresponds to approximately 62 711 427 kilometers. In addition, on the night of October 13, at 20 hours 25 minutes, the planet Mars will be in opposition. What does that mean? It will be the best time to observe Mars.
The figure below illustrates the opposition of Mars to October 13, 2020.
Note that according to Figure 1, we will have a alignment between the Sun, Earth and Mars. This alignment, when observed in the dark part of the Earth, that is, at night, greatly favors the observation of the planet Mars. The next alignment similar to this will take place on December 1, 2022. However, by 2022, the planet Mars will not be as bright as it is now.
Currently, due to the approach between Earth and Mars and the opposition of Mars, this beautiful reddish planet has a magnitude of -2.57. The magnitude is a number that represents the brightness of the celestial object. The smaller the number, the brighter the celestial object will be. Being so, Mars is absurdly bright!
The following table shows, in order, the months and years in which the opposition will occur and the shortest distance between Earth and Mars with their respective magnitudes.
Month and year / Magnitude
October 2020: -2.57
December 2022: -1.83
January 2025: -1.36
February 2027: -1.21
March 2029: -1.32
May 2031: -1.73
June and July 2033: -2.48
September 2035: -2.82
November 2037: -2.10
December 2039: -1.51
According to the table above, Magnitudes similar to what we are observing in this month of October 2020 will only occur in June / July 2033 and September 2035.
So, do not miss this beautiful opportunity to observe the planet Mars shining brightly in the sky of your city.
How to locate Mars in the sky of my city?
For him At the beginning of October 2020, approximately, we can say that Mars can easily be seen above the eastern horizon after 3 hours of sunset. By the end of the month, the planet Mars may be visible just above the eastern horizon about 30 minutes after sunset.
The highlight will be on October 12 and 13.. That’s because, on October 13, Mars will be in opposition. This planetary configuration allows observers located on planet Earth to view Mars from sunset to sunrise the next day. Therefore, for October 12 °While the Sun will set on the western horizon, the planet Mars will rise on the eastern horizon.
Is for October 13When the Sun rises on the eastern horizon, the planet Mars will set on the western horizon. With the above, between October 12 and 13 we will have 12 hours and 13 minutes of observation of Mars.
See also:
