Earth, Mars To Share Rare Dance Friday: How To See It In Raleigh

RALEIGH, NC —There’s a lot going on in the heavens right now and it can be hard to know what to focus on. But for now at least, may we point your attention to Mars, that red dot you might have noticed dancing in the night sky. It’s becoming brighter by the night and will reach opposition with Earth on Friday.

Mars and Earth are at opposition about once every two years. But this year it'll be extra special.

Mars is at perihelion, or its closest, which only happens every 15 years or so. The last time Mars was this close was in August 2003. For context, Beyonce and Jay-Z had the No. 1 song in America with "Crazy In Love."

Here's the catch: we might need some good fortune from mother nature, as the weather forecast in Raleigh for Friday night is looking tenuous.

According to The National Weather Service, there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m Friday night into Saturday. It'll be mostly cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

So cross your fingers now. But if we get lucky, here's what you're in for.

As NASA explains it: “During opposition, Mars and the sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth. From our perspective on our spinning world, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. Then, after staying up in the sky the entire night, Mars sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east. Since Mars and the sun appear on opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in ‘opposition.’ If Earth and Mars followed perfectly circular orbits, opposition would be as close as the two planets could get.”

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Because both the Earth and Mars have elliptical orbits, opposition and the red planet’s closest approach to ours doesn’t always occur at the same time. Mars will be closest to Earth around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, July 31, according to EarthSky.org.

Mars moves slower, taking about two Earth years for a trip around the sun, but if they orbited in a perfect circular pattern, opposition would occur every year.

The brilliant crimson orb has been visible since May, but it will be brighter during opposition than when it makes its closest approach. That’s because of the angle at which sunlight hits it.

In 2003 when Mars last came this close to Earth, a meme circled the internet that said it would be as big as the moon, according to Space.com. It’s likely to resurface, but just ignore it. The planet will be big, bright and beautiful, but keep in mind that Mars is half the size of Earth.

You won’t need special equipment like a telescope or binoculars to see it. Just look up and be dazzled. And if you miss it, Mars will continue to be bright for about a month after opposition.

The Delta Aquarids meteor shower also peaks overnight Friday and Saturday. Consider it a dress rehearsal for the more reliable Perseid meteor shower, a typically prolific sky show that runs through Aug. 24, peaking overnight on Aug. 12-13.

That means you may see meteors any time you look up in the night sky anytime over the next several weeks.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (ASU), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute)