Road to Mars
Image Credit & Copyright:
John Chumack
Explanation:
What's that light at the end of the road?
Mars.
This is a good month to
point out Mars to your
friends and family because our
neighboring planet will not only be its
brightest in 15 years,
it will be visible for much of night.
During this month,
Mars will be about 180 degrees around from the Sun,
and near the closest it ever gets to
planet Earth.
In terms of orbits, Mars is also
nearing the closest point to the Sun in its
elliptical orbit,
just as Earth moves nearly between it and the Sun -- an alignment known as
perihelic opposition.
In terms of
viewing, orange Mars will rise in the east just as the Sun sets in the west, on the opposite side of the sky.
Mars
will climb in the sky during the night, reach its highest near
midnight, and then set in the west just as the Sun begins to rise in the
east.
The red planet was captured setting beyond a stretch of road in
Arches National Park
in mid-May near
Moab, Utah,
USA.
Source: NASA