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Mars will be bright and beautiful in the night sky in October 2020.
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To forget Hallowe’en. October 2020 is all about the glory of Mars, as the bright red planet puts on a show in the night sky. We passed the close approach of Mars to Earth on October 6 and now we look forward to Tuesday October 13, when it will be in opposition.
Detecting Mars
Mars has a reputation for being the “red” planet, but its color in the night sky is a bit more on the Halloween side of the spectrum. It appears as a bright red-orange spot to the naked eye, like a small shiny rust spot.
The distinctive color of Mars is a clue that you have found it in the dark. Look up at the eastern sky to see it rising at night. This is a good time to observe the planet, in part because detecting it is so easy. It should be visible for most of the night. As NASA says, “Just get out there and look up and depending on the local weather and lighting conditions, you should be able to see Mars.”
Look at our star gazing app list for additional help locating the planet.
Opposition: October 13
When Mars and the sun align with Earth in the middle, the red planet is said to be in opposition. This is a perfect time to track the movement of Mars across the sky. It will rise in the east when the sun sets, move across the sky, and then set in the west when the sun rises.
NASA describes the opposition as “effectively a ‘full’ Mars.” Tuesday, October 13 is the time to enjoy the opposition. You will have to wait more than two years for it to happen again.
The Virtual Telescope Project, which brings us live broadcasts of celestial events, will broadcast a vision of the opposition to Mars beginning at 1 pm Pacific time. October 13. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the action without worrying about the weather. For people in the US, it will give them a preview of what to look for after sunset.
The project expects them to be “the best observation conditions since July 2018.”
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“The racetrack model of planetary orbits explains why. Earth and Mars are like racers on a track. Earth is on the inside, Mars is on the outside,” NASA said in its October What’s Up blog. “Every 26 months, the speedy Earth catches up to the slower Mars and runs past it. The opposition occurs just as Earth takes the lead.”
Mars isn’t the only sight in the October sky. You also can we look forward to a rare Halloween blue moon when our lunar neighbor is full on October 31st. It’s not creepy; it is abundant.
Roll back to close approach on October 6
Tuesday, October 6, marked Mars’s approach to Earth, but this entire month is still a good time to pick up a telescope and see a little better. Say hello to NASA’s Perseverance rover while you’re at it. The vehicle is on track to reach the planet in February 2021.
NASA shared an artist’s take on the close approach on Tuesday, October 6, compared to the last time it snuggled in July 2018. The apparent sizes look very similar. This year, Mars had a minimum distance of 38.6 million miles (62 million kilometers), which is about 3 million miles further than in 2018.
This artist’s view shows the apparent sizes of Mars during close approaches in 2018 and 2020.
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The close approach may be over, but the planet is still pretty bright at night, so get out there and take a look, or tune in to the Virtual Telescope Project live stream from the comfort of your computer.
