24 December: Opposition of Mars

On that date the planet will be in line with the Earth and Sun and from the ground will appear to be opposite the Sun in the sky (at opposition).

This year Mars remains fairly distant from Earth and never comes closer to us than 88 million km (or 55 million miles) but at opposition it will still appear to be brighter than all the other objects in the sky, apart from the Sun, Moon, Venus and Jupiter.

Around midnight, Mars will be high in the south, when it will be an unmistakeable sight to observers in the UK. The planet will look like a bright red dot, located in front of the stars of the constellation of Gemini and above the more familiar grouping of Orion. With moderate-sized telescopes, careful observers should be able to see hints of dusky markings on the Martian surface.

Media Contact

Robert Massey alfa

More Information:

http://www.ras.org.uk

All latest news from the category: Physics and Astronomy

This area deals with the fundamental laws and building blocks of nature and how they interact, the properties and the behavior of matter, and research into space and time and their structures.

innovations-report provides in-depth reports and articles on subjects such as astrophysics, laser technologies, nuclear, quantum, particle and solid-state physics, nanotechnologies, planetary research and findings (Mars, Venus) and developments related to the Hubble Telescope.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Properties of new materials for microchips

… can now be measured well. Reseachers of Delft University of Technology demonstrated measuring performance properties of ultrathin silicon membranes. Making ever smaller and more powerful chips requires new ultrathin…

Floating solar’s potential

… to support sustainable development by addressing climate, water, and energy goals holistically. A new study published this week in Nature Energy raises the potential for floating solar photovoltaics (FPV)…

Skyrmions move at record speeds

… a step towards the computing of the future. An international research team led by scientists from the CNRS1 has discovered that the magnetic nanobubbles2 known as skyrmions can be…

Partners & Sponsors