Mars Viewing at UCLA - November 2, 2005
The UCLA Planetarium will be hosting an evening of Mars viewing, scheduled for November 2, 2005. This date falls between Mars' closest approach to Earth (October 29) and opposition (November 6). "Opposition" means that Mars is directly opposite the Sun in the sky so that Mars rises at sunset, transits (crosses the meridian and reaches its highest position in the sky) at midnight, and sets at sunrise.
Even though Mars was closer to the Earth in August 2003 than it will be in November 2005, Mars will be even more spectacular for Northern Hemisphere observers this year because it will be higher in the sky at opposition (66° maximum altitude as opposed to 34° maximum altitude). This means that surface features on Mars will look clearer when the red planet is observed with binoculars and small telescopes. Read this NASA article for more details.
This special event will be similar to the Mars viewing held by the UCLA Planetarium in September 2003, featuring a Mars show in the planetarium and several telescopes set up for Mars viewing, including the UCLA Astronomy 24-inch reflector and CCD camera.
The Mars viewing will begin at 7 PM on November 2nd and last until approximately 10 PM. There will be planetarium shows throughout the night, featuring the special topic show Mars!, and 4-5 telescopes available for public viewing on the 9th floor roof of the Mathematical Sciences building.