There’s so much going on in the heavens that it’s hard to know where to look. For now, though, we suggest you focus on Mars, the little red dot that has been glowing brighter and growing bigger with every passing night as it moves closer to Earth than it has in more than a decade.
The show has been dazzling already and promises to only get better. Mars now appears as bright as it did in 2003, when it made its closest approach to Earth in almost 60,000 years and the two planets are getting closer in distance still.
Consider: On June 26, Mars was just 44 million miles away from us Earthlings, about 100 million miles closer than average, making it appear five times brighter than usual. And the Red Planet won’t reach its closest point to Earth until Tuesday, when it’ll be a mere 35.8 million miles away, double in brightness compared to June 26.
If you miss it, sorry. Mars and Earth won’t be so close to each other again until 2035.
If you want to get all technical-like and impress your friends about what’s happening, start throwing around the terms “opposition” and “elliptical.” Opposition occurs about every two years, when orbits place Mars, Earth and the sun in a direct line, with us Earthlings in the middle. Because the planets have elliptical orbits, some Earth-Mars encounters are closer than others.
Space.com explains:
Also, because Mars is directly opposite the sun during opposition, Mars rises as the sun sets, and it sets as the sun rises. As a result, the Red Planet shines prominently in our night sky.
In addition, this year, Mars will reach what is called “perihelic opposition”. Perihelion refers to the point in Mars’ orbit when it’s closest to the sun. Therefore, when Mars is closest to the sun, it is even closer to Earth during opposition.
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SEE ALSO: 2018 Guide To Meteor Showers, Other Sky Shows
In 2003, a meme circled the internet claiming Mars would appear as big as the moon. Here’s what you need to know about that: it’s not true. The moon will appear about 75 times larger than Mars.
Still, you won’t need special equipment like a telescope or binoculars to see it. Just look up and be dazzled. And if you miss it, Mars will continue to be brightest until Aug. 3 as sunsets occur earlier.
The Delta Aquarids meteor shower was also set to peak Friday and Saturday. Consider it a dress rehearsal for the more reliable Perseid meteor shower, a typically prolific sky show that runs through Aug. 24, peaking overnight on Aug. 12-13.
That means you may see meteors any time you look up in the night sky anytime over the next several weeks.
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Image credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (ASU), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute)