Have you noticed Mars rising in the east yet? It rises after 8pm and the red planet is at its brilliant best this month because it will be close to Earth.
Every 26 months, Mars is at “opposition”. What this means is that Mars is as close to Earth it gets during the 26 months and appears brighter in our night sky. Why every 26 months? The key to understanding this is to know that Earth goes around the Sun faster than Mars and it takes 26 months for us to catch up and be close together again!
Mars is as close as it gets to Earth all year and it won’t be close again until February 2027. This year, Mars has its closest approach to Earth on 12th January and the red planet will be at opposition on the 16th.
The distance between Earth and Mars varies when we catch up to each other in orbit. That’s because we both have elliptical (or oval shaped) orbits around the Sun. Sometimes we’re closer to each other than other times. The last time Mars was particularly close was in 2020. It’s not until 2033 that it will be that close again.
Use the above image as a guide. Astronomical images provided by SkySafari, a Simulation Curriculum Company, All rights reserved www.simulationcurriculum.com.
When and where to look:
Any time after 8pm from the start of December. Mars reaches opposition on the 16th January and is in the east.
For telescopes
Mars will look better through telescopes if you wait for it to get higher up in the night sky. You’ll be looking through less atmosphere. Large telescopes may be able to pick up some some darker and lighter area features on the surface of Mars, whereas smaller to medium telescopes probably won’t be able to. However, no matter which telescope you have, it’s always worth having a look at Mars!
Something interesting
“Opposition” is a word that astronomers often use. A planet is said to be in “opposition” when it is on the opposite side of Earth to the Sun.
“Opposition” only occurs for planets that are further out from Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Mercury and Venus can never be in “opposition” because their orbits are closer to the Sun than Earth’s. Earth can never be in between these planets and the Sun!