It’s coming. Mars has been moving closer to earth for several months, but unlike science fiction movies the bright red ending to this encounter will be an unsually great view.
Tonight the two planets will be 56 million kilometers or 35 million miles apart, according to NASA. Mars was about five times that distance from earth six months ago.
Mars and earth orbit the sun, but at different periods – the Earth at a year and Mars at a year and a half, said astronomy professor Jim Giammanco.
Sometimes when Earth is farthest from the sun and Mars is closest and the two planets are on the same side, he said. And because their orbits are not exactly circular, this month they are about a two million miles closer than usual.
The encounter will be the closest in about 60,000 years. The two planets have been almost this close in 1924, 1845 and 1766, and according to NASA will not be this close again until 2287.
But this will not be the only time people will be able to see Mars. The planet’s tracks around the sun are constantly changing shape and size, according to NASA, which is why the encounter this month rarely occur. While not as close, people still get good sighting of Mars every 15 to 17 years, and less ideal views are come about every two years.
“It’s not some astronomical event that will change life as we know it,” Giammanco said.
Through a telescope, Mars will appear about as bright as Jupiter, a larger planet that is farther away, Giammanco said.
Besides the unique view, when Mars is closer to the Earth it gives scientist a chance to examine the surface, he said. Mars shows traces of water and an atmosphere that gives it an earthlike composition, which presents the possibility that life could exist there.
The orbits will reach their closest tonight, but Mars will be visible for several weeks, Giammanco said.
“It’s not something folks should feel like if it’s a cloudy Wednesday night, they’ll never see again,” he said.
After his alarm went off early one morning this summer, Giammanco said he could see the red planet while picking up his newspaper. Mars will appear as a point of bright, orange light, and through a telescope viewers will be able to some surface detail.
Both the Highland Road Observatory and Pennington Planetarium are holding events this week in honor of the natural wonder.
Astronomy professor Gregory Guzik said the Highland Road Oberservatory will be open until midnight tonight and Friday. Wednesday night Guzik will speak about Mars rovers and the importance of observations.
The observatory also will host an all night event Saturday, showing classic Mars movies such as “Mars Attacks” and “Total Recall,” he said.
The Pennington Planetarium will host programs tonight at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The program will include a tour of the nighttime sky, pointing out seasonal constellations, the moon and other celestial objects, close up images of Mars and the view of Earth and the sun from Mars.
Admission is free for Louisiana Art and Science Museum members, but $4 for adults, $3 for children younger than 12 years old and senior citizens.