Last night when I went to bed at about 2:00AM and laid there, I noticed how
startlingly bright Mars was in our bedroom window. It was as if the planet
Barsoom had suddenly appeared, as it was described in the ancient writings of
Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Every 26 months the Earth and Mars come into opposition, meaning that the
Sun, the Earth and Mars all line up in a row. Opposition this year will occur
on June 21. At that time, Mars will be directly overhead at solar midnight
(1AM for most places that observe daylight savings time).
Mars is also currently in the constellation Scorpio, which is the only
constellation that looks like its namesake, a scorpion, complete with claws,
a body, a tail and even a stinger. The bright red star that is to the right
of Mars is Antares, which is directly in the center of the back of the
scorpion, and which means in Greek, "not Mars." The difference in contrast
between Mars and Antares is truly significant at the moment, because Mars is
so close (only twenty times further than the Moon), but sometimes the two are
surprisingly difficult to tell apart, when Mars is a little further out.
After a fine night's sleep under the influence of Mars, I got these two items
this morning. The first is from the governor of New Mexico:
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WHEREAS, ON JUNE 21, THE RED PLANET MARS WILL MAKE ITS CLOSEST APPROACH TO
OUR HOME PLANET SINCE 1988, AND THEREFORE, A PRIME ASTRONOMICAL OBJECT TO
VIEW; AND
WHEREAS, SPECTACULAR VIEWS AND INFORMATION OF THE RED PLANET WILL BE OFFERED
TO CITIZENS AND VISITORS ON OR NEAR THIS DATE BY SEVERAL NEW MEXICO ASTRONOMY
ORGANIZATIONS; AND
WHEREAS, IN NEW MEXICO, ASTRONOMY REPRESENTS A PRODUCTIVE, HIGH-TECH,
NON-POLLUTING INDUSTRY THAT PROVIDES GOOD JOBS, CONTRIBUTES TO LOCAL
ECONOMICS, AUGMENTS OUR BASE OF TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTISE, ENRICHES LOCAL
EDUCATION AND ATTRACTS TOURISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD; AND
WHEREAS, NEW MEXICO IS HOME TO FOUR MAJOR OBSERVATORIES: THE NATIONAL
SCIENCE FOUNDATION'S (NSF) NATIONAL RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY IN SOCORRO;
THE NSF'S NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY AND THE MULTI-UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM
APACHE POINT OBSERVATORY, BOTH AT SUNSPOT; AND THE AIR FORCE'S STARFIRE
OPTICAL RANGE AT KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE; AND
WHEREAS, NEW MEXICO'S THREE STATE UNIVERSITIES, NMSU, UNM AND NEW MEXICO
TECH, OFFER A PH.D PROGRAM IN ASTRONOMY OR ASTROPHYSICS AND OPERATE
FACILITIES SUCH AS CAMPUS AND SMALL TO MEDIUM-SIZED RESEARCH OBSERVATORIES;
AND
WHEREAS, NEW MEXICO IS HOME TO THREE NATIONAL LABORATORIES, SANDIA, LOS
ALAMOS AND THE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY, WITH STAFF ASTRONOMERS AND
ACTIVE ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS INCLUDING GROUND AND SPACE-BASED
OBSERVATIONAL FACILITIES; AND
WHEREAS, NEW MEXICO OFFERS OTHER RESEARCH PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE LINEAR PROJECT
AT WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, WHICH FINDS NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS AND DISCOVERS
NEW COMETS; AND
WHEREAS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF AMATEUR ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETIES WHOSE MEMBERS
VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME AND EQUIPMENT TO BRING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE UNIVERSE AND
EXCITEMENT ABOUT SCIENCE TO THE PUBLIC AND YOUNG PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE
ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF LAS CRUCES, THE ALAMOGORDO ASTRONOMY CLUB, THE RIO
RANCHO ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, THE CLOVIS ASTRONOMY CLUB, THE ALBUQUERQUE
ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, NM ASTRONOMY, AND PROJECT ASTRO NEW MEXICO; AND
WHEREAS, NEW MEXICO IS HOME TO INNOVATIVE PROJECTS THAT BRING ASTRONOMY TO
THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE LODESTAR ASTRONOMY CENTER AND THE SPACE MUSEUM IN
ALAMOGORDO; AND
NOW, THEREFORE I, GARY E. JOHNSON, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, DO
HEREBY PROCLAIM THE 17TH THROUGH THE 23RD OF JUNE, 2001 AS "MARS DISCOVERY
WEEK" THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND URGE ALL CITIZENS TO VISIT THE
WONDERFUL PUBLIC ASTRONOMICAL INSTITUTIONS AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RED
PLANET AND OUR ASTRONOMICAL HERITAGE.
ATTEST:
REBECCA VIGIL-GIRON
SECRETARY OF STATE
DONE AT THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE THIS 13TH DAY OF JUNE, 2001. WITNESS MY HAND AND
THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO.
GARY E. JOHNSON
GOVERNOR
========================================
And the second from NASA/JPL:
========================================
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
<A HREF="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov">http://www.jpl.nasa.gov</A>
Contact: Enrico Piazza (818) 354-0478
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 13, 2001
BRIGHTER, REDDER MARS TO ILLUMINATE SUMMER NIGHTS
Hold on to your hats and keep a pair of binoculars handy:
After a 26-month sprint around the track of the solar system,
we are about to lap Mars again.
Today, the red planet is in "opposition," an event that
puts Earth between Mars and the Sun. On June 21, Mars will be
at its closest distance from Earth since 1988, a mere 67.3
million kilometers (approximately 42 million miles). All
summer long, Mars will be brighter than usual, particularly
for sky-watchers in the southern United States and those in
the Southern Hemisphere.
On average, Mars is 50 percent farther from the Sun than
Earth is. Because of its tighter orbit, Earth passes Mars
every couple of years. The reduced distance between the two
planets and better solar illumination angle give Earthlings
the best Mars-viewing opportunity. Through October, Mars will
be easy to spot looking south, especially around midnight. The
better view will be reserved for those living in the Southern
Hemisphere, with Mars high in the sky. In the Northern
Hemisphere, Mars will be low on the horizon. The more south
the observer is, the higher the red planet will appear in the
sky.
For centuries these favorable observing conditions have
excited human imagination, providing closer views and new
details and features. Now with better tools and the same
hunger for discovery, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is
still paying close attention to Mars' position to launch
spacecraft at the most favorable opportunity to save fuel and
time. Taking advantage of the upcoming alignment will be the
2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, the most recent mission to the red
planet, which was launched April 7 and will arrive October 23,
2001.
While Martian opposition occurs every other year, the
minimum distance between the two planets is not always the
same because of the elliptical orbits of the two bodies,
particularly Mars. However, this is not a major concern for
mission planning.
"The distance between the two planets is important, but
it doesn't matter nearly as much as the timing, which is
crucial," Standish said.
The next Mars opposition will be in August 2003, when the
two planets will be the closest they ever been in at least
5,000 years, approximately 55.7 million kilometers (34.6
million miles). At that time, NASA will send two JPL-built
rovers to Mars, each capable of exploring distances greater
than the Sojourner rover of Mars Pathfinder fame.
For more information about Mars exploration, log on to
<A HREF="http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov">http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov</A> .
New pictures illustrating Mars opposition are available
at
<A HREF="http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/opposition_6_2001/">
http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/opposition_6_2001/</A>
JPL manages the Mars Exploration Program for NASA's
Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. JPL is a division of
the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
========================================
Wirt Atmar
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