Scheduled to get closer to Earth on Tuesday, and you can watch the show


nasamars

2020 October Mars will look bright and beautiful in the night sky of October.

NASA

forgot Halloween. This October October is about the glory of Mars, as the glowing red planet makes a display in the night sky. You can enjoy Mars as a bright point of light for a whole month, but there are two special dates to mark on your calendar: Oct Kto. The when the planet comes close to the earth, and Oct Oct.13, when it will be in opposition.

Spotting Mars

Mars has a reputation as a “red” planet, but its color in the night sky is slightly higher on the Halloween side of the spectrum. It looks like a small piece of rust shining like a bright orange-red dot to the naked eye.

The distinctive color of Mars is a key that you have found in the dark. Look up at the eastern sky to catch it as the night progresses. This is the best time to look at the planet, in part because it is so easy to find. It should be visible for most of the night. As NASA says, “Just go out and look and, depending on your local weather and lighting conditions, you should be able to see Mars.”

Check us out List of stargazing apps If you need some extra help to find the planet.

Closer approach: Oct

Tuesday, Oct. Mars shows an approach closer to Earth. This would be a great time to grab a telescope and get a little better. Wave NASA’s Perseverance Rover When you’re on it. The vehicle is on track to reach the planet in February 2021.

NASA on Tuesday, Oct. Close shared an artist’s perspective on approaching October compared to being smuggled in July 2018. The apparent size looks very similar. The minimum distance to Mars this year will be 38.6 million miles (62 million kilometers), which is about 3 million miles away compared to 2018.

This artist’s view shows the apparent size of Mars during approaching approaches in 2018 and 2020.

NASA

Opposition: 13 Oct

When Mars and the Sun join Earth in the middle, the red planet is said to be in opposition. This is a good time to track the movement of Mars in the sky. It rises in the east as it goes under the sun, revolves around the sky and then settles in the west as it rises above the sun.

NASA describes the protests as “effectively ‘complete’ Mars. Tuesday, Oct. Oct. 13 It’s time to enjoy the protests. You have to wait two years for that to happen again.

“The racetrack model of the orbits of the planets explains why. Earth and Mars are like runners on the track. Earth is on the inside, Mars is on the outside,” NASA said in its October What’s Up blog. “Every 26 months, the fast-moving Earth slows down and opposes Mars. There is also opposition as the Earth takes the lead.”

Mars is not the only show-off in the sky for October. You can too Wait for a rare Halloween blue moon When our lunar neighbor Oct Kto. Filled at 31. It’s not spooky; It’s boo tiffual.