(Photo courtesy of RASC, using the program Stellarium)
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Mars, visible to the naked eye.
Milton residents will have a chance to see Mars in the night sky tonight.
The Communications Coordinator at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Eric Wickham, says Mars will be at opposition on October 13th. The planet will be its most visible on the 6th.
It happens roughly every 26-months, but this time is extra-rare.
With this being the closest the Red Planet will come to Earth in the next 15-years, residents will be able to see it with their naked eye. As Wickham jokes by saying, “look up and you’ll see it”, he adds that with a telescope, people will be able to see finer details of the planet’s surface.
Mars was technically closer in its last opposition 26-months ago; however, Wickham says it was completely inscrutable because there was a giant storm on the surface.
Wickham explains why this opposition is different than the one we will see in roughly 26-months, and even after that.
Also this month will be the ‘Blue Moon’. A Blue Moon occurs when more than one full moon takes place in a month. While the moon does not typically appear blue in this process, in can appear to change colour if atmospheric conditions are met. As an example, fires or volcanic eruptions could release the right chemicals into the atmosphere to make the moon appear red.
Wickham says he’s looking forward to the Blue Moon, even if it’s blue by name only.
Mars will be visible over the eastern horizon at roughly 7:30 p.m.. It will move across the sky westward as the night progresses.
If you’d like to learn more about Mars, the solar system, and more, head to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s website.
You can also watch a livestream with RASC’s outreach coordinator Jenna Hinds, and Chris Vaughan. To do so, click here.
