A look at this weekend from the most recent views of Mars since 2003

Mars as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. J. Bell (Cornell University) and M. Wolfe (SSI)/NASA,

We are rapidly reaching the peak of the current specter of Mars as it reaches the opposite side of the Sun and as it departs Earth's closest point. But will the weather cooperate, allowing you to get a good look at Mars at its best? ”

First, realize that the best views of Mars will not be limited to one night. Mars will reach the opposite side of the Sun on Friday (July 27), and the Sun will rise at sunset, at It reaches its highest point in the sky at midnight and sets at sunrise. However, since Earth and Mars orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits, Mars' closest approach to Earth usually occurs a few days before or after this opposition. In the event, Mars will appear within 35784481 miles (57589547 kilometers) of Earth at 3:50 a.m. EDT (0750 GMT) on Tuesday (July 31) and then the beam will take just 3 minutes and 12 seconds. The interplanetary divide between Earth and Mars can be crossed

So you have five nights from Friday to Tuesday to get the best views of Mars in the Wild 2018: How to See It. IT AND WHAT TO EXPECT WEATHER OUTLOOK

Nationwide, the western states will have the best weather during this period; skies in this area should generally be mostly clear, however, in the central states, This will be a different story in the eastern states in particular, where a slow-moving frontal system interacting with very warm, moist air blowing north from the tropics will produce considerable cloud cover that will spread over large areas. A range of showers and thunderstorms, however, there is a chance of seeing the second-smallest planet in the solar system, even near and along the east coast where clouds and showers dominate.

For the latest National Weather Service. For forecasts, check their webpage; find your region of the country and click on the forecast office for your region.

There is a stark difference between watching Mars in 2016 (without the dust storm) and 2018 (FrankJ. Melillo)

Your best view of Mars, however, may only be with your eyes alone, now even through a large telescope, due to a planetary dust storm that occurred in week eight and is nearly obscured. For all the detail on Earth's surface, this view may also be disappointing, although astronomers tell me that the worst of the storm is over, there is still a considerable amount of airborne dust that obscures even the most prominent and well-known Martian features. It may take at least a month or longer for the dust to settle enough to see the planet's physical features in clear detail. This view of Mars on July 21, 2018 illustrates the sky during the formation of this planet-wide dust storm. Observers would not be able to discern many of the different features. (Frank J. Melillo)

The dust even changes the naked-eye appearance of Mars when it becomes as bright as it does now. It has a distinct orange-red color. But those who have seen it recently say it looks closer to a yellow-orange, a hue similar to the color of ginger juice—certainly not a color befitting Mars' nickname of the Red Planet. "KdSPE" "KdSPs" "KdSPE" Decline slowly after July 31, "KDSPs" However, Mars' inevitable decline will initially be gradual. In fact, it will continue to shine at its projected peak of -2.8 by August 3. By September 5, it will still be brighter than Jupiter, which is usually second only to Venus. Until September 24, Mars will continue to compete with Sirius, the brightest of all stars. In apparent size, Mars will still appear (as seen through telescopes) at least 90% of its size until August 24, as it is closest to Earth on the night. [How to use a mobile app to watch Mars’ closest approach since 2003] Until next time. . . ""Mars' next opposition will be on October 13, 2020. That event may have been a more favorable opportunity for northern observers than now, as Mars will be more than 30 degrees higher in the sky than it is now. (The arm length of your clenched fist is about 10 degrees, so in the fall of 2020, Mars will be "three fists" taller than it is now.) And Mars will be just 2.79 million miles farther from Earth than it is this month at its opposite (4.49 million kilometers); it appeared almost as bright and, in a telescope, almost as large as now.

Interestingly, there is a 79-year long-term cycle in which the conditions for any given Mars opposition are almost exactly replicated. For example, on July 27, 1939, Mars was almost as close to Earth as it has been this year. In fact, at its closest approach in 1939, it was only 271,000 miles (437,000 kilometers) from Earth, farther away than it was on July 31 of this year.

79 years later, on August 3, 2097, Mars will be very close to Earth again, actually 287,000 miles (462,000 kilometers) closer than it is this year. Over the past 14 summers, the hoax has been "back"

", Many people received an email titled "Mars Spectacular" that was circulated on the Internet from an anonymous source. In turn, the message was passed on to others who couldn't help but Forward it to their entire address book. The annual email always claims that on August 27, Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in 60,000 years, allowing for spectacular views of the Red Planet. Comments even claim that, with heavy use of exclamation points, Mars will appear as bright (or as big) as the full moon. But that's wrong for a number of reasons: First, "August 27" is actually August 2003. on January 27. Mars did historically pass by Earth that night. Second, during its approach, it looked as it does to the naked eye today—similar to a very bright star. But nothing like the full moon.

There has been a change of pace this year. The date of the Mars scam has been changed to coincide with this month's opposition, from August 27th to July 27th. email and published on a full web page. The fake news that Mars will appear as large as the full moon that night - and that this event occurs only every 34,978 years - is now circulating on all social media platforms. Come on.

If you see it, or someone sends it to you, ignore it, or, better yet, delete it. Immunity. If you fool yourself by sending it to your friends and family, you'll be less likely to send them the next "unbelievable" internet announcement, which may not be so harmless

Editor Press: If you took a stunning photo of Mars and would like to share a story or photo gallery with Space, please send comments and pictures to Space photos@Space

Joe Rao is a New Yorker. A lecturer and guest lecturer at the Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History Magazine, Farmer's Almanac, and other publications, and is a video meteorologist for Verizon FiOS1 News in New York's Lower Hudson Valley. Original articles about space from us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.

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