STARGAZERS have a special opportunity to see Mars and the Moon close together on Thursday night.
Although the Moon will be beautiful to see, it’s really Mars that will be the star of the show in this stunning image.
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Experts have noted that on December 8, there will be an alignment in the sky that won’t happen again until 2025, per AccuWeather.
That’s because it will have reached what’s called opposition, meaning that it will be on the opposite side of Earth than the sun.
Mars will reportedly be very visible next to the Moon throughout the entire night, appearing in the eastern sky just after sunset and setting in the western sky a little bit before sunrise on Friday, December 9.
It’s also imperative to go see Mars’s appearance tonight as well, as opposition only happens once every 26 months for the Red Planet.
It happened last on October 13, 2020, and won’t happen again until sometime in 2025.
The reason Mars will be so easy to spot tonight is because of the brightness that opposition provides to the planet. It is also the closest it will be to Earth, making it appear brighter than any other position in its orbital pattern.
If you’re unable to view it on December 8 for whatever reason, there’s not too much need to worry.
It will remain bright and visible from this point through the end of 2022.
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However, those in specific locations around the globe will be able to see Mars better than most because of the weather, according to experts.
People located in and around the Gulf Coast, the central Plains, the interior Southwest and northern New England will likely have the best viewing experience.
Viewers should be able to see the red and orange glow of Mars more prominently than ever.
Additionally, no telescope should be required to see it, as opposition allows visibility to the naked eye.
Having a telescope will only enhance the ability to locate the Red Planet for more detailed viewing.
Opposition also benefits Mars rovers
Not only will the Mars opposition help those who would like to see the Red Planet in the night sky, but it will surely assist Nasa in communications with their rovers.
Given that Earth and Mars are at their closest on December 8, it provides Nasa with a prime opportunity to have relatively fast connections to their operational vehicles.
Nasa experts noted that it will only take about five minutes for radio signals to travel to the robots and rovers on Mars.
This is highly beneficial in comparison to the 20 minutes it usually takes when the planets are at their furthest point from one another.
In the same respect, it’s also the best time for the space agency to launch their spacecraft to Mars in the months leading up to the opposition given the proximity between the planets.
“It takes less power to travel to Mars at this time, compared to other times when Earth and Mars are in different positions in their orbits,” Nasa noted in an official release.
The time it takes to travel to Mars is one of the biggest challenges that Nasa faces in getting a crewed mission there, but they would likely wait for a moment like opposition to launch for the quickest travel.
For more related content, The U.S. Sun has the story that will take you inside Nasa’s mind-blowing Mars base designs.
The U.S. Sun also has coverage of a breakthrough in the hunt for life on Mars.
