Mars At Its Brightest

September 11th, 2020

By: Haris Ahmad

Currently, the red planet Mars is at its brightest and biggest in the night-sky as it has lined up with Earth on the same side of the Sun. This phenomenon occurs every 26 months on average and hence, Earth and Mars get the closest to themselves in orbit. This is also the best time for missions to take on a trip to Mars due to the closer distance.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/10/10/mars-at-its-brightest-since-2003-as-moon-visits-venus-what-you-can-see-in-the-night-sky-this-week/#2e2838c92d13

On the night of Tuesday, 13th October, the ‘opposition’ will take place and Earth Mars and the Sun will align in a straight-line making Mars the brightest till 2035 when it will take place once again. None of us should miss this event because it may be the last time for some people to see it. Regardless of that, no astronomy enthusiast shall miss this beautiful event.  

Moreover, Astrophotographers in the Northern Hemisphere will be overwhelmed due to the fact that on this occasion, the elevation of the red planet in the sky is higher than normal which means that telescopes will not need to look through the Earth’s disturbing atmosphere which can lead to distortion in images. 

Alan MacRobert, a senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine says, "Just look southeast after the end of twilight, and you can't miss it. Mars looks almost scary now, compared to how it normally looks in the sky."