Mars Opposition

Context:

An event referred to as “opposition”, which takes place every two years and two months, Mars outshined Jupiter, becoming the third brightest object in the night sky during October.

What is the opposition?

• The opposition is the event when the sun, Earth, and an outer planet are lined up, with the Earth in the middle.
• The time of opposition is the point when the outer planet is typically at its closest distance to the Earth for a given year, and the planet appears brighter in the sky.
• An opposition can occur anywhere along Mars’ orbit, but it happens when the planet is also closest to the sun, it is also particularly close to the Earth.
• Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars orbit the sun. But Earth is closer to the sun and therefore races along its orbit more quickly.
• According to NASA, from an individual’s perspective on the Earth, Mars rises in the east and after staying up all night, it sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Mars Oppositions

• Mars oppositions happen about every 26 months.
• Every 15 or 17 years, opposition occurs within a few weeks of Mars’ perihelion (the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun).
• In 2020, Mars opposition occurs on October 13, 2020.