The opposition of Mars occurs on Thursday. This phenomenon occurs every 26 months, so it’s worth looking up at the sky and looking for the bright orange dot.
On Thursday we will have the opportunity to see an interesting astronomical phenomenon – the opposition of Mars. “This is the best time of the year to see it!” – wrote Karol Wojcicki, a famous astronomer, author of the blog “With your head in the stars” on social networks.
Opposition – what is this phenomenon?
A Mars opposition occurs when Earth aligns between the Sun and the Red Planet.
“As for Mars, this happens every 26 months: previously it was at opposition on December 8, 2022, and again on February 19, 2027, then on March 25, 2029,” wrote the astronomy popularizer. “During the ‘opposition season’, the planet is usually better visible: its brightness is high and the distance is relatively small, which translates directly to the size of the planet’s observable shield. But even here, the opposition is uneven,” Karol Wojcicki added.
Why does this happen? As Astronomy Popular explained, because of the elliptical orbits of both Earth and Mars, each opposite of Mars is slightly different. The most favorable are the so-called perihelion oppositions, when the opposition coincides with reaching the perihelion of Mars – its closest approach to the Sun. “But such oppositions happen about every 15-17 years. But today we are still about half a year before the perihelion of Mars,” he added.
Although Thursday’s opposition won’t be as spectacular as the 2022 opposition (when the so-called Great Opposition of Mars occurs), “it’s always a good opportunity to observe the planet.”
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How to observe?
Karol Wojcicki wrote that in the case of Mars it is worth reaching for a telescope. “Using the highest possible magnification available for your equipment (about 6-8 times the diameter of your telescope), you can see not only the bright orange shield of the planet, but also the darker regions made up of volcanic rocks. Or at the North Pole. the planet is white, he added.
Head in the stars, tvnmeteo.pl
Main image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
