Mars Opposition
Explanation:
Look opposite the Sun in the sky tonight and you'll see
Mars
at its brightest.
Also within days of its
closest approach Mars rises at
sunset, near its brightest and best for telescopic observers too,
except for the dust storm still blanketing the Red Planet.
These two Hubble Space Telescope images compare Mars' appearance
near its
2016 and 2018 oppositions.
In 2016 the martian atmosphere was clear.
Captured just days ago,
the 2018 image shows almost the same face of Mars.
Surface features obscured by dust,
the planet's cloud enshrouded south pole is tilted more toward the Sun.
Increased heat in the southern hemisphere spring and summer likely
triggers planet wide dust storms.
Of course, if you look opposite the Sun in the sky tonight, you'll
also see a Full Moon near Mars.
Skygazers
NOT located in North America could see the
Red Planet near a Red Moon
during a
Total Lunar Eclipse.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
