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Two full moons They are not the only spectacular celestial events in October. This week, Mars it’s making its closest approach to Earth until 2035, and to see it, all sky watchers have to do is look up.
Mars will glow throughout the month, but there are two rare days to watch out for: October 6, when Mars is closing in, and October 13, when the red planet is in opposition.
Close focus
On Tuesday, October 6, the orbit of Mars is closer to Earth. This year, the close approach of Mars places the planet about 38.59 million miles from Earth, according to NASA.
The minimum distance between the two planets is approximately 33.9 million miles. Mars came closest to Earth in nearly 60,000 years in 2003, and it won’t be that close again until 2287.
Mars is relatively easy to spot in the night sky due to its bright orange-red color, visible even with the naked eye. It’s visible for most of the night in the southern sky, peaking around midnight, and zooming in means it’s brighter than ever.
This year, it’s closer to 10 a.m. EDT on October 6, according to EarthSky. However, eager sky watchers can look up throughout the month to see an incredible view of the planet, close to the moon.
“Just get out there and look up and depending on the local weather and lighting conditions, you should be able to see Mars,” NASA said.
If you miss this year’s zoom, next will be December 8, 2022. However, NASA said it will be 15 years before Mars looks so amazing again, due to the planets’ slightly tilted elliptical orbits and the gravitational pull.
“The Red Planet gets close enough for exceptional viewing only once or twice every 15 to 17 years,” the space agency said. The next time Mars is closer to Earth than it is now will be in 2035.
POT
Mars in opposition
Earth makes two trips around the sun in about the same time it takes for Mars to make one trip. This means that occasionally the two planets meet on exactly opposite sides of the sun, a phenomenon called opposition that occurs approximately every two years.
The close approach of Mars this year coincides with the opposition, something especially rare. From the perspective of humans on Earth, the red planet is rising in the east just as the sun sets in the west, and the exact opposite is happening every morning.
When Mars is in opposition, the red planet and Earth are closer to each other in their orbits. Mars is at its brightest during this time, making it easy to spot in the night sky with the naked eye.
This year, it will reach the opposition around 7 p.m. EDT on October 13, according to EarthSky.
With Mars so close, several nations are sending spaceships to the planet, including NASA March 2020 Mission. The Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on the red planet in February 2021.
