When Mars is close to Earth again? Oppositions Calendar of the Red Planet.

12 frames, at 95% best quality in Registax.

185 frames, in Registax.

90 frames, in Registax.

121 frames, in Registax.

44 frames, in Registax.

Mars, is a planet that is much nicer to see it at opposition ,  when the Earth is located between the Sun and Mars. At that time the two planets are closest one to the other , which means that will be seen a lot brighter in the sky , and with a Newtonian telescope starting at 8 in. mirror , its surface features can be seen , appearing with a reddish color and ice caps at the poles .

It is true that not all oppositions of Mars ( or any other planet ) has the same distance from Earth , even if the Earth is located between the Sun and the Red Planet .

On April 8, 2014 , at the next opposition , the planet will be at 92.39 million km. from Earth , compared to March 3, 2012 previous opposition , when the distance between the two planets was 100.78 million km.

You have to know that Mars is in opposition every 2 years and 2 months , and regardless of the distance which would be at that time, it worth the observations especially through a telescope, because weather conditions can make you observe it more clearly than in another year , when maybe was closer to us , but the sky was covered, or with a bad atmosphere .

In the pictures above , taken from a video processed in Registax , Mars was caught on 24 March 2012, 20 days after the opposition of March 3 .

When Mars made ​​a complete orbit around the Sun , the Earth almost finishes the second one , being closer to the Sun. It is not hard to undarstand the climatic conditionss that the Red Planet endures being so far from the Sun . It remains a mystery whether it had or it has life , but for sure we are approaching toward the truth. Our goal is definitely to discover that there is or was life someday.

Want to organize your schedule for the next time Mars will be closest to Earth? Here are some upcoming dates below.

 Calendar of times when it was and when will be the opposition Mars:

January 10, 2010 at 99.33 million km.
March 3, 2012 to 100.78 million km.
April 8th, 2014 at 92.39 million km.
May 22, 2016 at 75.28 million km.
July 27th, 2018 at 57.59 million km. (best observation)
October 13, 2020 at 62.07 million km.
December 8th, 2022 at 81.45 million km.

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, 20mm Plossl, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 24.03.2012
Distance from Earth 106 214 488 km
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: Images in Registax, FastStone Image Viewer

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Mars at opposition Video through my telescope observational astronomy March 3, 2012.

     This is my first video of Mars through the telescope. The red planet was the closest to Earth and it's face was fully illuminated by the Sun. It was the best time to view and photograph Mars (and on March 4).

Mars (144,798,500 km2), is the fourth planet from the Sun in our Solar System. It was named after the Roman god of war, Mars. Is described as "Red Planet" due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface, which gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of impact craters of the Moon, and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps on Earth.
Rotational period and seasonal cycles on Mars are similar to those on Earth. On Mars is Olympus Mons, the highest mountain known in the Solar System, and Valles Marineris, the largest canyon. Borealis Basin, located on the northern hemisphere, is covering 40% of the planet.

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Astro calendar 2012: Astronomical calendar-astronomy events in 2012 .

Next astronomical event in 2012: March 14, 2012 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.

Video: Victor Lupu
Optics: CelestronC8 "-Newtonian telescope, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: SonyCX130 at 7x optical zoom
Total Magnification: 700x
Filter: no
Date: 03/03/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: stabilized in Sony Vegas 10

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