Close Approach

10/23/05 – 10/29/05

By C. Zaitz

Usually we think of the Full Moon of October as harbinger of Halloween, perhaps because when it rises it often looks like a giant pumpkin. But the Full Moon was a while ago, and there is another bright object in the night sky which could usher in the night of costumes and candy, of spirits and falling leaves. Mars has been sneaking into the early evening sky and is now approaching its brightest appearance for the next 13 years. It’s a brilliant orange hue and out-sparkles anything around it. And on October 30th, it will be as close to the earth as it will get until 2016, at about 43 million miles from our planet.

You may remember the big fuss about Mars back in 2003. It was, “as close as it will get to the Earth for 60,000 years!” as the headlines read. And while that was true, Mars was also fairly low in the Michigan sky and you had to look through a lot of earth’s atmosphere to see it. In 2005, Mars won’t be quite as close, but will be much higher in the sky, easier to see. A view through small (4”) telescopes will reveal ice caps and markings on Mars that are usually only seen through larger telescopes. Mars rises around 5:30 pm at the end of October, but you may want to wait until later in the evening to view it, perhaps 9 or 10 pm. It will glow like a distant Jack-O-Lantern in the October sky.

In the past I have had a unique treat for trick-or – treaters bold enough to visit my house. I have my little 4” telescope ready and pointed at the Moon or a planet, and before the little dinosaurs and princesses can grab the candy, they must look through the telescope. I even encourage the adults to do so. This year I’m very excited about having Mars to look at, and I’m hoping for clear skies this Halloween. Often I give out Milky Ways and Starbursts, but I think this year the theme will be Mars bars, if I can find any. If you’d like to be the “weird scientist” on the block, be sure to locate Mars from your front yard a few nights before Halloween, so you can easily point it out to the little goblins as they reach for the stash of sugary snacks. If you happen to own a small telescope or a nice pair of binoculars, be sure to use them that night. You can tell them that Mars is as close as it will be until they are almost “grown-up.”

Meanwhile, NASA has sent a probe to Mars with a camera on board that is the biggest that has even been sent to another planet. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched in August and will arrive in March of 2006 to start spying on the red planet from orbit. Even from high above Mars, it will be able to see something as small as a dishwasher on the surface with its giant telescope eye. As you spy on Mars from our dusty orb, you can imagine the little craft speeding its way to the red planet while we wait, temporarily stranded here on earth. Some day, maybe one of us will be speeding our way to Mars. Now that will be a spectacular close approach!

Until next week, my friends, enjoy the view!