do
the martian opposition of 2014
welcome stargazers I'm James all very
director the key cassava pop planetarium
in Gainesville Florida
and then Miley Hidalgo thanks teacher
from Miami Florida
and I'm demery guess astronomer from the
Cincinnati Observatory
we get to celebrate something really
special next week
that's right team the red planet Mars
will be a opposition
and when Mars is that opposition its
closest to us
and at its biggest and brightest when
objects are closer in brighter
this makes a much better for viewing so
let's talk about the upcoming opposition
at mars
and why some oppositions are better than
others let's show you
Mars is fascinated astronomers for
centuries
even the sky watchers on the antiquity
were mesmerized by the peculiar movement
brightness
and color changes of mars every twenty
six months or so
mars goes from a pale orange yellow to a
bright or just read
mars got its name because it's Brett
Cullen reminded the ancient Romans a
blood war and violence so they named
after their got a poor
the ancient Greeks gave the Red Planet
the name pair ease
the name the Greek god of war: and the
Babylonians name that never call
after their gotta pestilence and death
so
every twenty six months the break you
know mars reminded people love the
celestial connection with their God of
War
and they came to expect the unleashing a
war revolutions disaster and debt
even the symbol for Mars is the stylized
Roman sword and shield
but what if Mars change color size and
brightness
every twenty six months
if we view our solar system from high
above the Sun
we can see the orbit support earth and
Mars it takes a little more than 365
days to orbit the Sun
while Mars takes almost 687 days when my
sister
alright their closest to each other
Mars's at to be at opposition
when a plan is that opposition it's
exactly on the
opposite side at the sky from the Sun
the tricky part about martian
oppositions
is that sometimes Mars is much closer at
some oppositions then
others for example the martian
oppositional August 2003 was one of the
closest ones
ever work Earth and Mars were only 30
4.6 million miles apart
compare that to the opposition March
when Mars is a whopping 62.6 million
miles from Earth
the reason the mars is distance very so
much is because in the shape of Mars is
art
Johannes Kepler demonstrated that
planetary orbits are not perfect circles
but a shape called inlets Mars orbit is
more logical than Earth's
so there are times when Mars is much
closer to the Sun than others
when a planet is at its closest to the
Sun
we call that Perry Helion the perihelion
point for Mars lies in the constellation
Aquarius
the point when a plan is far this from
the Sun is called at helium
and from mars that point is in Leo the
Lion perihelion actually in our
opposite sides in the planet's orbit and
as a result or on
opposite sides the sky cell if you look
at the zodiac
what constellation is on the opposite
side of the sky from Leo the Lion
to its Aquarius cell if the Sun is a Leo
and Mars in Aquarius you get a close and
bright opposition
but switch around and if the Sun is an
Aquarius
and Mars in Leo you get a distant and
think opposition during the martian
opposition
1956 Mars was extremely close and bright
this happened in September when the Sun
was unreal and Marshalls an Aquarius
the opposition 1877 when fogelson day
most were discovered
also happened in September and again
marshals in aquaria
on the other hand the martian opposition
ups 1997
wasn't very impressive happen in March
when the Sun was an Aquarius
and Mars in Leo same thing happen in
March 2012
things are getting better though next
week on April 8
Mars will be in Virgo and the Sun will
be in Pisces they're both one
consolation over so
it's not quite as bad each time we go
around the opposition's will get better
and better
then in late July 2018 will get the best
view
mars we've had since 2003 so check out
march right after sunset next week as
you
keep looking up
yes me
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