Mars is drawing ever-nearer to its opposition on December 8, 2022. That’s when Earth will fly between Mars and the sun, and the space between our 2 worlds would be the least for this 2-year interval.
Mars in 2022
Mars in December 2022: Mars is now ascending within the east earlier than true darkness falls. It’s barely brighter now than Sirius, the sky’s brightest star. And it’s noticeably pink in shade. Mars will proceed to extend in brightness till opposition then start fading by the top of the month. And, every evening, the pink planet will rise earlier.
Opposition for Mars will fall at 6 UTC on December 8, 2022.
Mars was closest to Earth on December 1, 2022 (2 UTC). At its closest, Mars was 4.5 light-minutes from Earth.
At opposition, Mars’ constellation is Taurus the Bull.
Its opposition brightness is magnitude -1.9 (most brightness for 2022). At this level, though Mars is brighter than all the celebs, it nonetheless received’t be as as brilliant as Venus or Jupiter.
By way of a telescope, at opposition, Mars will seem 17.01 arcseconds throughout. Main options on Mars will present floor coloration, plus Mars’ white polar cap will probably be seen.
Notice: Opposition marks the center of the perfect time to see an outer planet. So begin watching Mars now! The pink planet reaches opposition solely about each 26 months. At opposition – as Earth flies between Mars and the sun, putting Mars reverse the sun in our sky – it’ll rise within the east at sundown, attain its highest level round midnight and set at daybreak.
Finder chart
Moon occults Mars on December 7-8
The moon occults, or passes in entrance of, Mars and is seen from components of the Americas, Europe and Northern Africa. Examine this link for a map of who can see it and when Mars will disappear and reappear out of your location. Mars’ obvious diameter will probably be 17 arcseconds. And it’ll be shining at magnitude -1.9. So Mars will probably be massive by a telescope and brilliant to the attention! The moon will probably be absolutely illuminated. Nonetheless, you need to be capable to glimpse Mars close to the moon in binoculars.
Read more: The moon occults Mars on December 7-8
Mars lunar cccultation map and local times by IOTA
View from above the solar system, December 2022
Generally, Mars is faint
Mars was in our night sky for a lot of 2021. However, round October, the pink planet disappeared from our sky for a time. Its superior conjunction – when it was most instantly behind the sun as seen from Earth – was October 8, 2021. Some weeks afterwards – as each Earth and Mars moved of their respective orbits across the sun – Mars returned to our sky as a faint pink dot within the east earlier than dawn. To make certain, it remained inconspicuous all through the early months of 2022.
Generally, Mars is brilliant
Mars steadily brightened within the first half of 2022, first as a morning object. However later, through the second half of 2022, Mars shines as a brilliant pink ruby within the night sky. It’ll attain opposition – when Earth will fly between Mars and the sun – on December 8, 2022.
Certainly, Mars’ dramatic swings in brightness (and its pink shade) are why the early stargazers named Mars for his or her God of War.
Generally the struggle god rests. And generally he grows fierce! These modifications are a part of the rationale Mars is so fascinating to look at within the evening sky.
Want to follow Mars? Bookmark EarthSky’s monthly night sky guide.
Mars isn’t very massive
To grasp why Mars varies a lot in brightness in Earth’s sky, first notice that Mars isn’t a really massive world. It’s solely 4,219 miles (6,790 km) in diameter, making it solely barely greater than half Earth’s measurement (7,922 miles or 12,750 km in diameter).
Contemplate Mars in distinction to Jupiter, the most important planet in our solar system. Jupiter is 86,881 miles (140,000 km) in diameter. Greater than 20 planets the scale of Mars might be lined up aspect by aspect in entrance of Jupiter. Jupiter at all times seems to be brilliant, as a result of it’s so massive.
Not so for little Mars. Its extremes in brightness must do with its nearness (or lack of nearness) to Earth.
Future Martian oppositions
When is the subsequent opposition of Mars? The following time Mars will seem at its brightest for that two-year interval in our sky? You guessed it. In January 2025! Take a look at the chart on this page that lists all oppositions of Mars from 1995 to 2037.
Seeing pink
Mars seems as a reddish gentle within the sky and is usually known as the pink planet. Mars is presently close to two apparent pink stars within the sky, reddish-orange Aldebaran and the well-known pink supergiant, Betelgeuse. So, it’ll be enjoyable to check Mars shade and depth of pink with that of Aldebaran or Betelgeuse.
Floor temperature is what determines star colors. The most popular stars are blue; the best stars are pink. In actual fact, from hottest to coolest, the colours of stars vary from blue, white, yellow, orange and pink. And whereas the colours of stars may be onerous to detect, some stars – like Aldebaran and Betelgeuse – are noticeably colourful.
Iron oxide
Then again, Mars appears red for a special cause. It’s pink due to iron oxide within the dust that covers this desert world. Iron oxide offers rust and blood its pink shade. Rovers on Mars sampled the Martian dust and decided it comprises three colours: reds, browns and oranges. So these three colours are what you might even see whenever you gaze upon Mars.
Do you see pink whenever you have a look at Mars, Aldebaran and Betelgeuse? Are they the identical shade? Do you see some other colours of stars?
Backside line: All through 2021, Mars was faint. However it has brightened in 2022, and it’s getting thrilling and brighter now. Its opposition – when Earth flies between Mars and the sun – will probably be December 8.
