Astronomy: It's time to look at Mars!

You may have noticed recently, in the sky, this star with lights, if not red, at least glowing.

It is neither more nor less than the famous Mars!

Visible to the naked eye all year round, this planet in the solar system is particularly bright at the moment.

This change in luminosity is linked to variations in the distance between our two planets.

They approach each other then move away, because they do not take as long, one and the other, to complete a revolution around the Sun: 365 days for the Earth, 686 for Mars.

Every 26 months or so, the two planets align with our star so that Earth is in the middle of the axis.

Mars is said to be in opposition.

This is what will happen on December 8.

The planets will then be separated “only” by 82 million kilometers.

The few weeks preceding and following this type of event are particularly favorable for observing the red planet with the naked eye, with binoculars, telescopes or a telescope.

This time, the conditions are perfect: Mars rises at sunset, remains high in the sky for a long time, before setting at sunrise.

On December 8, opposition day, it will also be possible to see the occultation of the planet by the full Moon: around 6:41 a.m. that morning, Mars will pass behind the Earth satellite before reappearing an hour later. .

Referring to an "exceptional phenomenon", the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation, located at the Paris Observatory, has even put a dedicated site online.

The next opposition of Mars will take place in January 2025, but the planet will be a little less close to us... by a dozen million kilometers!