Mars to put on a show for SouthCoast stargazers and be brightest it will be until 2035; peaks tonight Oct. 6

A planet that is a favorite of Sci-Fi writers and has held the fascination of earthlings for decades will be the closest – within just 38.6 million miles – to the earth than it will be for another 15 years. And since it will appear in a section of sky with no bright stars to obscure it, it will incredibly easy to spot whether you use a telescope, binoculars, or the naked eye.

Called Mars’ opposition, the show occurs on October 13, when it will be directly on the opposite side of Earth from the sun. But before that arrives we’ll be able to enjoy a little show.

Typically the only things that can prevent amateur stargazers and professional astronomers from enjoying a lunar, solar, or other celestial show like meteors or falling stars is light pollution – whether from nearby stars, a full moon, or that produced from cities or sometimes the position of the “show” in the sky makes the event only possible to be viewed from one hemisphere.

None of those will be a factor this time: you can see it from both hemispheres, there are no other bright stars trying to steal the show, and the moon will be in a waning gibbous phase to the east.

The planet will be so bright that even with just binoculars you’ll be able to catch some of the planet’s surface features – dark spots, and maybe, just maybe its white polar caps. With a small telescope, you will be able to catch both the dark features and the polar caps.

Where to look? Start in the southern sky and look for the slightly red orb and that’s it! It will be unmistakable.

Incidentally, you will also be able to view Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus. As Venus will be the third brightest object in the eastern sky (after the sun and moon) in the early morning you can use it is an anchor point to find Mars.

If you miss it tonight, don’t fret. While Mars will slowly be distancing itself from the earth you’ll be able to catch it for a few more weeks.

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