Explanation:
Will Mars appear extremely close and bright later this month?
No.
Regardless of numerous
urban legends circulating, Mars will appear relatively normal in August.
October is the best month to
see Mars this year.
The red planet
is now visible in the morning before sunrise.
As Earth catches up to
Mars
in their respective orbits around the Sun, Mars will keep
rising earlier in the night.
On 2005 October 30, Earth will have
caught up to Mars and the planets will
be the nearest to each other in their orbits -- this time around.
On October 30, Mars will be
nearly opposite to the Sun, rise at sunset, set at sunrise,
and appear highest and brightest around midnight.
Also on October 30, Mars will
appear brighter than it has in the past two years,
although still over 10,000 times smaller and fainter than the full Moon.
Earth will then pass Mars,
and Mars will appear to fade.
Pictured above,
Mars is shown as it appeared 2003 August 27, when it
appeared slightly brighter
than it had in nearly 60,000 years.
The foreground setting is in the
Valley of Fire state park in
Nevada,
USA.
The ellipticity of orbits primarily determines the closeness
and brightness of Mars during
opposition.
