The Mars Opposition Phenomenon Will Happen Today
- Tech Explorist
VIVA – The phenomenon of Mars opposition will happen today, Thursday, December 8, 2022. It can be witnessed in Indonesia without optical aids as long as the weather is clear and free from light pollution. The opposition of Mars is a conjunction when the Sun-Earth-Mars are is in a straight line.
Mars is on the opposite side of the Sun, hence the name 'opposition'. So, Mars will be closer to Earth. Then, the red planet will look brighter than on other nights. The phenomenon occurs every 25.6 months or 2.13 years, which has previously occurred on July 27, 2018, and August 23, 2020.
Mars opposition will occur at 12:35 PM in West Indonesia Time. So, Mars can be seen in Indonesia from the northeast around Sunset.
The sighting will end the next day in the northwest at sunrise. At that time the distance between Mars and Earth is only 82.2 million kilometers, with a brightness of -1.87 or 1.5 times brighter than Sirius.
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) noted that the phenomenon will coincide with the December Full Moon, which peaks at 11:08 AM in West Indonesian Time/12:08 PM in Central Indonesian Time/1:08 PM in Western Indonesian Time.
Mars opposition also coincides with the Occultation of Mars by the Moon, which can only be witnessed from Canada, Greenland, Iceland, parts of the United States, Mexico, Tunisia, Morocco, Russia, and all of Europe except the Balkan countries.
"Countries that do not experience Mars occultation, including Indonesia, will only experience the Full Moon-Mars Conjunction," The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) stated on its website.
Mars and the Moon will be together all night and it can be recognized because they are located in the constellation Taurus-Auriga, near the star Elnath (Beta Tauri-Gamma Aurigae) and the radian point of the Northern Taurid meteor shower.
Moreover, Mars opposition will occur again on January 16, 2025, and February 19, 2027. In general, there will be no impact experienced by people on Earth when this phenomenon occurs.
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