Dear Urban Astronomer I recently received this presentation in an email. Apparently, Mars will look as big as the Moon on 27 August, because it will be closer to us than ever before in recorded history and will look as big as the Moon in the sky. Is this true? I was tempted to simply dismiss this as a joke. After all, it’s not like anybody still falls for this, right? Surely people remember seeing the same hoax this time … Continue reading →
This entry (Mission to Mars: Why we must go) was originally written for my Now Look Here! blog, but I reckon it’s relevant for Urban Astronomer too: I listened to a series of Naked Scientists podcasts recently, on the various competing plans to launch a human mission to Mars. One episode stood out in particular, asking whether this was something that we need to spend money actually doing.They assembled a panel of various experts and authorities to debate the issue, and while … Continue reading →
Late last year, word started spreading through the local astronomical community that an exciting event was coming up: An Oort cloud comet named C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) would be passing so close by Mars that there was a chance it might hit. If it did, we on Earth would be treated to a spectacularly rare astronomical display of a comet slamming into a rocky planet. The planetary science community were simultaneously excited about what they could learn from the resulting … Continue reading →
Building on the success of Curiosity’s Red Planet landing, NASA has announced plans for a robust multi-year Mars program, including a new robotic science rover set to launch in 2020. This announcement affirms the agency’s commitment to a bold exploration program that meets our nation’s scientific and human exploration objectives.
Continue reading →Mars is the third of the classic planets. It is not one of the brightest, but it stands out for two reasons: It has a vivid orange-red colour and it makes large retrograde motions in the sky every year and a half. As we watch Mars from night to night, it slowly moves to the East. Every now and then (whenever Earth overtakes Mars in its orbit), Mars stops moving and reverses direction. After about a month, it resumes its normal … Continue reading →
