Photo: Getty ImagesAn otherworldly phenomenon will grace the sky tonight.Thanks to a rare cosmic situation in which Mars, Earth, and the sun line up, the red planet will appear three times larger than normal on Tuesday, July 31.At 3:50AM EST, Mars will arrive at the closest position that it has been to Earth — 35.8 million miles away — since 2003, when Mars came within 34.7 million miles of Earth,Forbesreported. That proximity in 2003 was the nearest the two planets had been to each other in 60,000 years.The next date that Mars will seem so luminous will beSeptember 15, 2035, theDaily Mailnoted. Earth is normally 140 million miles away from Mars.NASA discussed the event, known as perihelic opposition, onits blog: “What does this mean for sky watchers? It means the Red Planet will appear super bright, and with its orange-red color, will be hard to miss in the nighttime sky.”If you want to watch Mars approach without going outside, NASA is offeringa live camthat broadcasts from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles beginning at 1:00AM EST.TheCuriosityrover, NASA’s vehicle on Mars, posted a tweet to mark the occasion: “I feel so close to you right now…Look to the South to see the Red Planet shining bright.”This astronomical event followsthe longest lunar eclipse of the centurylast Friday.
Photo: Getty Images
An otherworldly phenomenon will grace the sky tonight.Thanks to a rare cosmic situation in which Mars, Earth, and the sun line up, the red planet will appear three times larger than normal on Tuesday, July 31.At 3:50AM EST, Mars will arrive at the closest position that it has been to Earth — 35.8 million miles away — since 2003, when Mars came within 34.7 million miles of Earth,Forbesreported. That proximity in 2003 was the nearest the two planets had been to each other in 60,000 years.The next date that Mars will seem so luminous will beSeptember 15, 2035, theDaily Mailnoted. Earth is normally 140 million miles away from Mars.NASA discussed the event, known as perihelic opposition, onits blog: “What does this mean for sky watchers? It means the Red Planet will appear super bright, and with its orange-red color, will be hard to miss in the nighttime sky.”If you want to watch Mars approach without going outside, NASA is offeringa live camthat broadcasts from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles beginning at 1:00AM EST.TheCuriosityrover, NASA’s vehicle on Mars, posted a tweet to mark the occasion: “I feel so close to you right now…Look to the South to see the Red Planet shining bright.”This astronomical event followsthe longest lunar eclipse of the centurylast Friday.
An otherworldly phenomenon will grace the sky tonight.
Thanks to a rare cosmic situation in which Mars, Earth, and the sun line up, the red planet will appear three times larger than normal on Tuesday, July 31.
At 3:50AM EST, Mars will arrive at the closest position that it has been to Earth — 35.8 million miles away — since 2003, when Mars came within 34.7 million miles of Earth,Forbesreported. That proximity in 2003 was the nearest the two planets had been to each other in 60,000 years.
The next date that Mars will seem so luminous will beSeptember 15, 2035, theDaily Mailnoted. Earth is normally 140 million miles away from Mars.
NASA discussed the event, known as perihelic opposition, onits blog: “What does this mean for sky watchers? It means the Red Planet will appear super bright, and with its orange-red color, will be hard to miss in the nighttime sky.”
If you want to watch Mars approach without going outside, NASA is offeringa live camthat broadcasts from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles beginning at 1:00AM EST.
TheCuriosityrover, NASA’s vehicle on Mars, posted a tweet to mark the occasion: “I feel so close to you right now…Look to the South to see the Red Planet shining bright.”
This astronomical event followsthe longest lunar eclipse of the centurylast Friday.
source: people.com
