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The star chart shows the position of Mars in the southeast at 10:00 PM on four dates in the month of June. On June 1, Mars is on the horizon at 9:58 PM CDT, rising higher as the night progresses, and shining brightly at mag -2.1. On June 13, Mars is located on the other side of the earth from the sun, and is said to be at opposition. Because the planets have elliptical orbits, as Herr Kepler told us on his recent visit, a planet is not necessarily at its closest approach to the earth at opposition. In fact, Mars makes its closest approach on June 21, at about 41 million miles, the nearest approach since 1988. This month Mars subtends 20.8 arcseconds at its nearest (about 2/3 of the current angular size of Jupiter), large enough to show the south polar icecap and perhaps other details in modest telescopes. But don't waste time looking for the famous Martian face. It doesn't really exist, and besides, it's too small to see readily from the earth. Mars transits our meridian about 1:08 AM on June 22, reaching its highest elevation of about 32 deg in the south, shining at about mag -2.4. Have a look, and keep your eyes peeled for the Martians. |
You can print a copy of this star chart so you can take it outside.
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