Mars Opposition viewing event scheduled at SIU

Sky gazers will have an opportunity to see the planet Mars during a special observation event planned at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Mars Opposition viewing event is planned from 8:30 p.m. to midnight on July 27 at the SIU farms astronomy observation area west of the campus. 

The event, hosted by SIU’s Department of Physics and the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois, is free and open to the public.

Bob Baer, a specialist with SIU’s physics department, said the event is special for amateur astronomers and stargazers because it provides an opportunity to see Mars while it is close to the Earth and bright.

The orbits of Mars and Earth line up every two years and, depending on the orbit eccentricity, the distance between the planets can vary. 

Though Mars goes through opposition every two years, it has not been this close since 2003.   

“Late in July, the distance will shrink to about 35 million miles, which is significantly less than the average distance of 140 million miles that separates the planets,” Baer said. 

“At this relatively short range, we can observe some detail on the surface of Mars, including the polar icecaps, when viewing through a portable telescope.” 

Observers also will be able to see Jupiter, Saturn, the moon and Venus during the event, as well as some deep sky objects, Baer said.

During clear sky conditions, the SIU farms astronomy observation area can be significantly darker than campus and the community, allowing observers to view dimmer objects. Organizers will have several telescopes set up on telescope pads.