Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2020 October 6

                             Mars Approach 2020
                      Image Credit: Jonathan T. Grayson

   Explanation: Look to the east just after sunset tonight and you'll see
   a most impressive Mars. Tonight, Mars will appear its biggest and
   brightest of the year, as Earth passes closer to the red planet than it
   has in over two years -- and will be again for another two years. In a
   week, Mars will be almost as bright -- but at opposition, meaning that
   it will be directly opposite the Sun. Due to the slightly oval shape of
   the orbits of Mars and Earth, closest approach and opposition occur on
   slightly different days. The featured image sequence shows how the
   angular size of Mars has grown during its approach over the past few
   months. Noticeably orange, Mars is now visible nearly all night long,
   reflecting more sunlight toward Earth than either Saturn or Jupiter.
   Even at its closest and largest, though, Mars will still appear over
   100 times smaller, in diameter, than a full moon.

                    Tomorrow's picture: flying bat squid
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.


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