This month, Mars observers within the Northern Hemisphere will get a spectacle not seen in over a decade: The Pink Planet will probably be close to its highest level within the sky whereas near Earth at opposition — the time when Mars is at its brightest and finest for the yr.
Opposition happens at 12:36 a.m. EST Dec. 8, simply seven days after the Pink Planet makes its closest method to Earth, inside 50.6 million miles (81.4 million kilometers) of our planet. Not since January 2007 has the planet been so excessive within the northern sky whereas so near Earth — and it’ll not occur once more till November 2037.
Throughout the weeklong interval between shut method and opposition, Mars will seem 17″ in diameter (17.2″ at most) and shine at magnitude –1.9 — simply 0.6 magnitude dimmer than Jupiter, which can reign overhead with a frosty rose-colored mild after sundown.
Bare-eye observers will be capable to observe the Pink Planet because it strikes between the horns of Taurus the Bull, turning into the first beacon in an acute triangle with the reddish stars Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. What’s extra, the Full Moon will occult Mars the evening of Dec. 7/8, including one other dimension to this unfolding drama. It’s per week of Mars observing to not be missed.
Prepared for its close-up
At opposition, Mars will lie instantly reverse the Solar, rising within the east because the Solar units within the west and reaching its highest level within the evening sky round midnight. As with the Full Moon (which happens when the Moon is at opposition), a telescopic view will present a completely illuminated Mars. And whereas the martian disk will probably be 5.4″ smaller than throughout its 2020 opposition, observers at mid-northern latitudes will see the planet some 70° excessive — 20° increased than in 2020.
In the event you miss the date of shut method or opposition, that’s OK: The planet will stay 17″ in obvious diameter for a full month, from mid-November to mid-December. Assuming Mars will not be coated by a worldwide dust storm, you should have ample time to survey your complete planet at basically its largest for the yr.
What face Mars presents will depend upon the time of your statement. Mars completes a full rotation in 24.6 hours, so in the event you observe the planet on the similar time each evening, you will notice its darkish options again up by about 10° each day, creating an illusory retrograde rotation interval of round 36 days. On any given evening, in the event you watch Mars for 2 hours, it is possible for you to to look at a further 30° of longitude.
The area of Mars dealing with Earth will probably be roughly the identical at its closest method (Nov. 30 at 9:11 p.m. EST; longitude 250°) and at opposition (Dec. 8 at 12:35 a.m. EST; 249°). The darkish floor options Mare Cimmerium and Mare Tyrrhenum will share the south-central a part of the disk. In the meantime, Syrtis Main will probably be nearer to the limb on the next facet (that which has a neighborhood time earlier within the day, “following” the previous facet because the planet rotates) of the martian central meridian (the imaginary line that runs from pole to pole and bisects the disk). Be aware that come opposition, the south polar cap ought to have enormously receded, with maybe only a pip of frosty mild seen. Nevertheless, the North Polar Hood — an enormous icy cloud that varieties over the martian north pole throughout northern winter — could also be outstanding.
