{"id":183040,"date":"2021-04-19T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T11:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=183040"},"modified":"2021-04-16T05:32:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T04:32:39","slug":"how-to-see-mars-through-a-telescope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/04\/how-to-see-mars-through-a-telescope\/","title":{"rendered":"How to See Mars through a Telescope"},"content":{"rendered":"

16 Apr 2021 – <\/em>When it is nearby, seeing Mars through a telescope is a spectacular sight. When it is at its farthest, the view is much less inspiring.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s our neighbor<\/a> in space, the distance between Mars and Earth<\/a> fluctuates massively over a two-year period. At their closest, they can be just 35,000,000 miles (56 million km) apart. When they are on opposite sides of their respective orbits, Mars can be 250,000,000 miles (401 million km) apart.<\/p>\n

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Mars at close approach (click for full-screen). Courtesy Chilescope \/ Damian Peach<\/p><\/div>\n

You won\u2019t be surprised to learn that the view you\u2019ll get of Mars in your telescope when it\u2019s 7x closer to us is spectacular compared to when it is at its most distant.<\/p>\n

At its closest, the disc can be 25 arcseconds<\/a> in diameter, at its furthest, it can be just 3.5\u2033 across, smaller than Uranus<\/a> in your telescope. This has a significant impact on the planet\u2019s apparent magnitude<\/a> too, which can be as dim as +2.0, or as bright as -3.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Mars \u2018growing\u2019 as opposition approaches (click for full-screen). Courtesy Luis Amiama.<\/p><\/div>\n

Suffice to say, you need to pick your moment to look at Mars. As the image above shows, much of the time it is a tiny, uninspiring red dot. When it is nearby, however, it is a large disc, rich in features to be discovered.<\/p>\n

Read on to find out when you should be looking for the red planet<\/a>, and what to look for when you\u2019ve found it.<\/p>\n

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