Astronomy

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to Earth (and thus appears a smidge larger) on the 31st.
The Red Planet will lie 35,785,000 miles (57,590,000 km)
away then. It will span 24.33" and shine at magnitude
–2.8. And — not that you’ll need any stars to locate it
— its position will lie within the constellation
Capricornus just north of the midpoint of a line joining
the magnitude 4.7 star 62 Sagittarii (HIP 98688) with
magnitude 4.3 Omega (ω) Capricorni.

Head south
Observers at northern latitudes find themselves at
a severe disadvantage this summer. At opposition,
Mars’ declination (distance above or below the celestial

equator) is –25°34'. This means for an observer at 40°

north latitude, Mars will climb a scant 24° above the

southern horizon at midnight local time.

It’s important to consider a planet’s altitude because

the less air you view (or photograph) through, the better

the image. So, if you have a choice, head south. Even a

10° change in latitude will let you see more surface

details. Ideally, we all probably want to observe from

latitude 25°34' south. Anyone up for a trip to Brisbane,

Australia? At midnight there, Mars will be overhead on

its opposition date.

Here’s a tip: Don’t wait for opposition. Although Mars

will be biggest and brightest around opposition, you can

This Hubble

Space Telescope

image, taken

June 26, 2001,

remains one of

the best ever of

Mars. At the time,

the Red Planet

was 43 million

miles (68 million

kilometers) from

Earth. NASA/THE HUBBLE

HERITAGE TEAM (STSCI/AURA)