Forget Halloween. October 2020 is all about the glory of Mars, as the shimmering red planet appears in the night sky. We passed the approach of Mars to Earth on October 6 and now it is pumped on October 13, when it is in opposition.

Mars discovery

Mars is known to be a “red” planet, but its color in the night sky is slightly more on the Halloween side of the spectrum. It appears to the naked eye as a bright orange-red dot, like a small patch of shimmering rust.

Mars’ distinct color is one clue I found in the dark. Look at the eastern sky to notice its height at night. This is a great time to see the planet, partly because it is so easy to spot. It should be visible for most of the night. As NASA saysSimply go outside and look up, and depending on the local weather and lighting conditions, you should be able to see Mars.

Verify List of star applications If you need some extra help locating the planet.

Opposition: October 13th

When Mars and the Sun line up with Earth in the middle, the red planet is said to be in opposition. This is the perfect time to track the movement of Mars across the sky. It will rise in the east when the sun sets, move across the sky and then set in the west as the sun rises.

NASA describes the opposition as Effectively “full” Mars. ” Tuesday October 13th is a good time to relish the opposition. You will have to wait more than two years for this to happen again.

The virtual telescope project, which provides us with a live feed of celestial events, will do Stream display opposing Mars Starting at 1 PM PDT. On October 13th. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the action without worrying about the weather. For people in the United States, it will provide you with a preview of what to look for after sunset.

The project expects this to be the “best control conditions since July 2018.”

Craters of Mars: See the cliff with these NASA wild images

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“The racetrack model of planetary orbits explains why. Earth and Mars are like runners on the track. Earth is inside, Mars outside.” NASA said in its What Up blog for October. “Every 26 months, fast Earth catches and corrupts slower Mars. Opposition occurs just as Earth takes the lead.”

Mars isn’t the only show in the sky for October. You can also Looking forward to a rare blue moon for Halloween When our neighbor is full moon on October 31st. It’s beautiful.

Rewind to approach on October 6

Tuesday October 6 saw Mars approach Earth, but this whole month is still a good time to grab the telescope and get a slightly better look. Give a wave to NASA Roving Perseverance While you are at it. The car is on its way to the planet in February 2021.

NASA shared an artist’s point of view on Tuesday, October 6’s approach Compared to the last incubation in July 2018. The sizes shown appear very similar. This year, Mars had a distance of at least 38.6 million miles (62 million km), which is about 3 million miles from 2018.

The near approach may be over, but the planet is still a lot bright at night, so go out and grab an atom, or set up a live broadcast of the virtual telescope project from your computer.