Mars Closest It Has Been in 60,000 Years, Viewings at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – During August Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in 60,000 years. Throughout the month the planet will be fairly easy to find as Mars appears red or orange as it rises in the night sky. On Aug. 27, Mars and Earth will pass each other with just 34.65 million miles separating them.

“We will never have a closer look at Mars without getting our feet off the ground,” said Dr. Bill Keel, professor of astronomy at The University of Alabama. “The telescopic view will show why people have spent decades arguing about what we do and do not see on the Martian surface.”

However, as close as Mars will be – which is closer to Earth than any other major planet, except Venus, can come – the gap is still daunting. According to Keel, at its closest, Mars still will be 150 times the moon’s average distance and look smaller on the sky even though Mars actually is about twice the size of the moon.

The two planets will pass each other because the Earth travels around the sun faster than Mars does. The Earth rotates once around the sun about every 365 days. It takes Mars 687 days to make the same trip.

Keel said the proximity of the 2003 approach makes it an especially good time to send landing craft to Mars, which accounts for the two NASA rovers and a European mission.

There will be two public viewings of Mars, sponsored by The University of Alabama astronomy department, through a 10-inch refracting telescope on top of UA’s Gallalee Hall.

The first will be Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. Dr. Ron Buta, professor of astronomy, and Keel will talk about the close approach of Mars to Earth and then take everyone to the roof to view the red planet. There will be an encore of this presentation and viewing on Friday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. On both dates, the program starts in room 227 of Gallalee Hall.

Gallalee Hall is located on the UA campus near the intersection of Hackberry Lane and University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. For more information, contact UA’s department of physics and astronomy at 205/348-5050.

This chance to view Mars up close is a perfect opportunity to introduce children to astronomy, as well as thrill star-gazers of all ages.

The department of physics and astronomy is in the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,500 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and the College’s students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 13 Rhodes Scholarships, 14 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships, and 15 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.