Hii Guys I am Mann Shah, we all know Mars the fourth planet from the sun. And the only planet which may have life possible. It is very much famous for its Nickname “ The Red Planet”.
Due to an event referred to as “opposition”, which takes place every two years and two months, Mars will outshine jupiter, becoming third brightest object(moon and Venus are first and second, respectively) in the night sky in the month of october.
This year, while Mars’ closest approach to Earth was on October 6, the opposition will happen on October 13 till the end of this whole month , which will give planet its “biggest, apparent size of the 2020s”, according to NASA.
So Hey you may ask me that, Hey mann what is Opposition? You all may think its opposite party!!! So my answer is no. So lets first now that what is Opposition.
So what is Opposition?
Opposition is the event when the sun Earth and an outer planet (Mars in this case) are lined up, with the Earth in the middle. The time of opposition is the point when the outer planet is typically also at its closest distance to the Earth for a given year, and because it is close, the planet appears brighter in the sky.
An opposition can occur anywhere along Mars’ orbit, but when it happens when the planet is also closest to the sun, it is also particularly close to the Earth.
When does opposition happen?
Further, as the Earth and Mars orbit the sun, there comes a point when they are on the opposite sides of it, and hence very far apart. At its farthest Mars is about 400 million km from the Earth.
In case of opposition, however, Mars and sun are on directly opposite sides of the Earth. In other words, the Earth, Sun and Mars all lie in a straight line, with the Earth in the middle.
But why is it called opposition?
As per Nasa, from an individual’s perspective on the Earth, Mars rises in the east and after staying up all night, it sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Because from the perspective on Earth, the sun and Mars appear to be on the opposite sides of the sky, Mars is said to be in “opposition”. Essentially, opposition is a reference to “opposing the sun” in the sky.
And how can one view Mars?
Opposition is the best time to view Mars. During this time, Mars will appear as a bright star to the unaided eye and when viewed from a telescope, “it will grow dramatically in size”, as per NASA. Using a telescope shows more of the planet’s details such as dark and light region, the solar ice caps and Mars’ surface.
But clarity of these details depends on the turbulence of the atmosphere and local weather conditions.
So, what are you waiting for guys lets take up a telescope to see a beautiful Mars’ in the sky.