Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Mars, Ceres, Vesta

NASA ^ | April 10, 2014 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: That bright, ruddy star you've recently noticed rising just after sunset isn't a star at all. That's Mars, the Red Planet. Mars is now near its 2014 opposition (April 8) and closest approach (April 14), looping through the constellation Virgo opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Clearly outshining bluish Spica, alpha star of Virgo, Mars is centered in this labeled skyview from early April, that includes two other solar system worlds approaching their opposition. On the left, small and faint asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres are seen near star Tau Virginis. But you'll just have to imagine NASA's Dawn spacecraft cruising between the small worlds. Having left Vesta in September of 2012, Dawn's ion engine has been steadily driving it to match orbits with Ceres, scheduled to arrive there in February 2015. Of course, you can also look near Mars for the Moon opposite the Sun in Earth's sky on the night of April 14/15 ... and see a total lunar eclipse.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN)]

[SunkenCiv]

You have to use really high magnification to make out the lines.

The Big One

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[left that other site]

Is mars the Belly Button? :-)

[cripplecreek]

The Dawn spacecraft should be arriving at Ceres very soon.

[SunkenCiv]

It’s the one-eyed hangover of the Solar System. :’)

[barefoot_hiker]

Have yet to see any detail on Mars. Using an 8” SCT and 4” f9 ED refractor. All I see is a pretty orange/red disc. Seeing has ranged from poor to good. I probably need to stay up late to observe Mars when it’s higher in the sky. Been packing it in around 10PM since I get up at 5AM for work.

[SunkenCiv]

:’) Good, it was about time we had a new keyword around here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/dawnspacecraft/index

[SunkenCiv]

That's probably all you can get; the canali reported by Schiaparelli are still reported today, and in the same places, which is weird, because I don't think there's any sign of them from probes. He was able to make out the large impact features, but the term canali led Percival Lowell and a few others to believe that there were artificial water channels on Mars. One of the non-explanations for them was that anyone seeing a blurry orange dot would automatically just make up details like that, another nail in the coffin of the idea that "skeptics" are rational.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Dust storms blowing across the planet - like our cold fronts, they’d create a blurry impression of lines.

And, the next time, wouldn’t a blurry-eyed astronomer “want” to see the same impression of lines again? Even his sketches didn’t have the same lines in the same latitudes again.

[Conan the Librarian]

At High magnification I have seen the lines. The eyes do play tricks.

But, the weather has been so bad here the last few months, I have yet to see Mars through a scope.

Hoping for a chance this weekend.

[left that other site]

hee hee hee!

[plsvn]

Have yet to see any detail on Mars

Yeah, hard to get excited about this opposition, it's one of the worst possible distance-wise.

[SunkenCiv]

:’) I’m glad someone “gets me”. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Oh, see, I’m not too bright... my original reference to lines was a joke about their superimposition of the zodiac lines on the image. :’) [blush]

[left that other site]

LOL!

I think we might share the burden of having a rather twisted sense of humor!

[Conan the Librarian]

Never!

[Conan the Librarian]

Also be aware that there is a Lunar eclipse this coming Tuesday Morning!

The Moon will be near Mars and almost on top of Spica.

[left that other site]

You too? LOL!