Mars to be biggest and brightest on Midnight, 29'th Jan

January 27, 2010

Skygazers can observe planet Mars at its biggest and brightest best on the midnight of January 29.

The 'Red Planet' will come this close to Earth after two years. "After two years, Mars will appear the brightest," Amitabh Pandey, founder president, Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE), said. "On January 27, Mars will be closest to Earth and on the midnight of January 29, it will be in line with the Sun and the Earth."

Mars comes close to Earth every two years, "every 26 months to be precise", according to experts.

"Mars takes about 687 Earth days to complete one revolution around the Sun, whereas Earth takes around 365 days. So there is a difference of speeds at which both planets move around the Sun and that accounts for Mars being further away or closer to the Earth," SPACE officials said.

"So Mars comes close to Earth once in 26 months ... the position is called opposition," Pandey said. A planet is said to be "in opposition" when the Sun, the Earth and the planet are in one line.

Stating the planet will look like a 'dazzling red jewel in the sky', Pandey added Mars will become as bright as Venus on January 29. "Mars gets its red colour from rust, scientifically called iron oxide which makes up about 10 per cent of Martian soil."

After this year's 'opposition', Mars will slowly dim in the sky as the Earth speeds ahead in its inner orbit, and the distance between the two planets increases. "A year from now, Mars will appear no brighter than an inconspicuous star."

An News : http://in.news./48/20100127/804/tnl-mars-to-be-biggest-brightest-on-frid_1.html