October 2020 Mars in the night sky will be bright and beautiful.
NASA
Forgetting Halloween. October 2020 is about the glory of Mars, as the shining red planet puts on a display in the night sky. We passed close to Mars on October 6 and now we have October 13 when it will be in opposition.
Mars
Mars is known as the “red” planet, but in the night sky its color is slightly different on the Halloween side of the spectrum. It looks like a tiny spot of shiny rust, like a bright orange-red dot to the naked eye.
The unique color of Mars is a clue that you put it in the dark. Look at the eastern sky to catch it as the night climbs. This is a great time to visit the planet, in part because it is so easy to see. It should be visible for most of the night. As NASA says“Just go out and see and based on your local weather and lighting conditions, you should be able to see Mars.”
Check us out List of stargazing apps If you want some more help finding a planet.
Opposition: 13 October
When Mars and the Sun meet Earth in the middle, the Red Planet is in opposition. This is a good time to track the movement of Mars in the sky. It will rise in the east as the sun sets, cross the sky and then rise in the west as the sun rises.
NASA describes the opposition “Effectively ‘complete’ Mars.” Tuesday, October 13 is the time to enjoy the protests. You have to wait two years for this to happen again.
The Virtual Telescope Project, which brings us live feeds of heavenly events, will Stream of seeing a Mars resistance Starting at 1 p.m. On 13 October. This is a great way to enjoy the work without worrying about the weather. For the people of the US, this will give you a preview of what to look for after sunset.
The project hopes to become one of the “best monitoring conditions since July 2018”.
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“The planetary race pattern explains why. Earth and Mars are like runners on the same track. Earth is inside, Mars is outside.” NASA said in its October WhatsApp blog. “Every 26 months, the Earth rapidly picks up Mars and slows it down. Resistance occurs as the Earth leads.”
Mars doesn’t just appear in the sky for October. You can too Wait for a rare Halloween blue moon When our lunar neighbor is full on October 31st. It’s not scary; It’s smelly.
Turn to the nearest approach on October 6
Mars is set to land close to Earth on Tuesday, October 6, but it’s still a good time to catch a full month of binoculars and get a little visible. Give them a wave NASA’s Commitment Rover When you’re on it. The vehicle is on its way to reach the planet in February 2021.
NASA shared an artist’s view of the approaching approach on Tuesday, October 6 Compared to the last contraction in July 2018. The obvious shapes look very similar. This year, the minimum distance to Mars was 38.6 million miles (62 million kilometers), which is about 3 million miles more than in 2018.
This artist’s view shows the apparent size of Mars during approaching 2018 and 2020.
NASA
There may be close approaches, but the planet is still bright enough at night, so get out and go to the live feed of the Virtual Telescope project from the comfort of your computer.
