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Hungry Wolf Moon will consume storied Red Planet
By Dan Hicks
A highlight of our January parade of planets is red planet Mars coming to within 5.3 light-minutes of our Blue Planet Earth on January 12 at 7 p.m. MST with an apparent disk diameter of 14.6 arcseconds. Although, due to Mars’ elliptical orbit the actual Sun-Earth-Mars alignment “opposition” will not occur until January 15 at 10 p.m. MST.
Mars’ orbital distance from the sun varies by 20%, while fortunately for us, our planet has an orbital distance variance of merely three per cent.
The elliptical Martian orbit explains the great variance in Earth-Mars oppositional distances and the consequent apparent disk size variations of Mars itself.
Our 2025 Martian opposition is a more distant “aphelial” opposition (disk diameter 14.6”), but its close 2035 opposition will be a pronounced “perihelial” opposition (disk dia 24.6”). Compare the years 2025 and 2035 in the following two charts.
Lead image: Sophisticated Cassegrain telescope tracks Mars at opposition. This astro scene resembles outer Cranbrook. Pete Lawrence/BBC. Images submitted
