Mars Again!

[taylormemer]

Im sorry for having all my post about space.

If Mars is in your mental rearview mirror following its close approach in late August, you might want to glance out your front window on the way home tonight. The red planet is set for another center stage appearance, this time in a celestial tango with the Moon.

The two objects will be near one another in the sky tonight and again Tuesday. They will appear closest just before dawn Tuesday.

The Moon is about 238,900 miles (384,402 kilometers) from Earth. Mars is now 35.7 million miles (57.5 million kilometers) away.

They can sometimes bunch up in the sky because both travel the same apparent path as viewed from Earth. This east-to-west arc, called the ecliptic, is also used by the Sun. It represents, in fact, the imaginary plane of the solar system in which nearly all the planets orbit the central star.

So the overnight event is a good time to examine celestial mechanics at work. It's also a great time to step out and marvel at two of the closest and most easily observed heavenly objects.

Monday Night: The Moon and Mars at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 8 as seen from mid-northern latitudes. The green arc is the ecliptic, along which the Sun, the Moon and the other planets roughly track.

Tuesday Morning: The Moon and Mars at 4 a.m. Sept. 9 as seen from mid-northern latitudes.

The Moon is waxing. It reaches full phase Wednesday and will be called this year's Harvest Moon.

Tonight will be a good opportunity to sight some lunar craters. Look along the fuzzy dividing line between the lit and unlit regions of the Moon's face. This terminator, as it's called, is where sunlight strikes the surface at the steepest angle, creating deep, stark shadows. [Printable Moon Map]

Mars is slowly receding from Earth after a history-making pass on Aug. 27, when it was less than 34.65 million miles (55.76 million kilometers) away.

On that date, Mars shone at maximum brightness, magnitude -2.9 on a scale in which lower numbers represent brighter objects. Tonight Mars is still at magnitude -2.72. Through September, it continues to outshine all stars.

To find the pair, simply look to the southeast, where they will rise Monday night around 7 p.m. for those at mid-northern latitudes. Both the Moon and Mars are bright enough to be seen before night's darkness fully sets in. They'll be high in the south at midnight and then sinking into the southwest horizon near dawn. The scenario Tuesday night is similar, but they rise around 7:15.

If your view of the horizon is obstructed, you may not see them until later.

The proximity of the Moon and Mars changes slightly throughout the night. Astronomers measure the separation in degrees. Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky.

In North America, westerners will get the best show. The two objects about 5 degrees apart Monday evening and then just 1 degree apart as dawn breaks Tuesday morning, according to Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Night Sky columnist.

From the eastern U.S., the Moon will hover about 6 degrees above and to the right of Mars as they rise Monday evening, Rao said.

"Since Mars is still extremely bright, people might want to watch for the rising of the Moon just before sunset and see if they can use it to locate Mars while it is still daylight," Rao suggested. A person's first daytime planet sighting can be an unforgettable experience.

By 5 a.m. Tuesday they'll be less than 3 degrees apart for eastern viewers, with the Moon below and to the right of Mars.

People in Siberia have a chance to see something even more remarkable. From some vantagepoints there, the Moon will actually pass in front of Mars, occulting it.

A similar close brush between occurred in July, and Mars was occulted by the Moon from parts of Florida. Several amateur astronomers recorded the event . The July occultation, along with the one this week, are like bookends to the greatest appearance of Mars in recorded history.

[Shenlong]

Wonder why NASA doesn't use this opportunity to launch a probe to Mars, since it's at it's closest, and it won't take as long until the probe reaches Mars' surface...

Whatever...Just a thought...

Thanks for the heads up...I might wanna take a picture of this...

[Niffle]

they've already set sail Shenlong...

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030908/xmars.html

the pair of probes don't touch down till 2004

[corkhead0]

It's only .5% closer than when it's furthest or something like that.

[taylormemer]

This is exactly my point, the difference in change of appearence of Mars is the eqaulivelant of having a light tennis ball and placing it 500m away and the moving it a closer 4m to simulate what is appears like for us. It is quite unnoticeable.

I didn't hear about those probes, hopefully they wont crash like the other recent ones.

[whiteflip]

[edit]wrong thread[/edit]

[EnDurA]

Originally posted by Shenlong
Wonder why NASA doesn't use this opportunity to launch a probe to Mars, since it's at it's closest, and it won't take as long until the probe reaches Mars' surface...

Whatever...Just a thought...

Thanks for the heads up...I might wanna take a picture of this...

wait 15 years, about 2016 they'll send a maned mission, with a return at about 2018

[taylormemer]

Originally posted by EnDurA
wait 15 years, about 2016 they'll send a maned mission, with a return at about 2018

Yes let's hope so. Afterall a robot can't do anything near as much as a human can.

[EnDurA]

every 26 months mars os close enough for a mission

[taylormemer]

Makes you think why we haven't already gone.

[laz]

No big bad enemy to compet with like the moon mission. So the government is being cheap asses and spending everything one pointless wars, and not about scientific research.
If only I could run a nation....... (look at computer games, *evil laugh*)

[EnDurA]

i wonder if there will be martians when they come back (if you catch my drift)

[taylormemer]

Well, the last frontier is space, but politicians can't see the that. And they don't see the truth that their idiots.
And EnDurA,.......... I dont catch your drift.

[xzxzzx]

Originally posted by corkhead0
It's only .5% closer than when it's furthest or something like that.

Right.

Um. Wait. No, that's wrong.

It's about 34 million miles away currently, and the approximate average distance is 48 million. At it's furthest, it would be about 129 million miles away. So, If you meant to say "500% closer", you'd be a lot closer.

[EnDurA]

sex taylor, sex on mars, resulting in babies on mars, resulting in martians

[taylormemer]

Ohhhhh yer I didn't consider that a posibility.=)

[!anthonie]

I don't mind how far it is. I want to go there.
Just don't know about making litle martians.

[whiteflip]

Low gravity sex sounds mighty apealing though.

[EnDurA]

zero G sex sounds better