TORONTO – If you’ve got a clear sky tonight, go outside and look to the east around 10 p.m. That bright red “star” to the southeast? That’s Mars, and it is sitting in a very special location.
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On April 8, Mars will be in a position astronomers call “opposition.” That means that it sits directly opposite the sun, from our point of view here on Earth. That is something that only happens every 26 months. Because it is at opposition, that puts it in a direct line with Earth, meaning that Mars will be at the brightest it’s been since 2007.
Mars is an amazing planet. Not only because evidence suggests that it once teemed with water and possibly life, but also geologically. It has canyons, polar ice caps and is home to the largest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. All that means that, if you have a telescope, you can make out different regions on the planet.
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If you don’t have a telescope, or clear skies, there will be two online live shows Tuesday night: the Virtual Telescope Project and SLOOH.
Mars will next be at opposition on May 22, 2016.
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