![]() This is the case with the opposition occurring this month, and one like it won’t occur again until the year 2035. Because the two planets follow elliptical paths in their orbits, some oppositions occur at closer points than others. It is for this reason that Mars and Earth only line up every two years. It takes 687 days, for Mars to complete a trip around the Sun-the time it takes for Earth to complete 2 orbits. Of course, a lovely star party with your local amateurs helps your chances of getting a good view and a fun experience click here to find an astronomy club near you.When Mars reaches opposition, Earth is directly between it and the Sun | Kel Elkins/ NASA What makes this opposition special? But hurry up! Jupiter will be slipping into the west with the sun this month. What can we do to whet our appetite while we wait? It turns out that we can still easily spot Europa from our back yards, as Galileo famously did in 1610! If you have especially good eyesight and are adept with your telescope, you might even be able to make out the disc and color of icy Europa. ![]() If the final mission gets approved it would take the probe quite a while to get there, as the arrival date is hoped to be some time in 2027. However, in April it was learned that a special request was made by Congress authorizing $75 million dollars in seed funding towards a mission to Europa. In-depth studies of revised concepts for a robotic science mission to Europa in the wake of the 2011 decadal survey for planetary science have identified a multiple flyby mission called the Europa Clipper as the most promising concept. While the act of landing on Europa may be far off, it also appeared likely that recent budget cuts would have pushed back a return visit to one of the most mysterious and tantalizing objects in our solar system by decades. Attempt no landing there." -HAL/Bowman, 2010: Odyssey Two "All these worlds are yours except Europa.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |