Mars will be directly opposite to Sun and Earth on December 24, a rare occurrence that will provide an opportunity to seek more information about the red planet.
Mars, subject of intense attention from scientists searching for possibilities of sustaining life there, is currently visible to the naked eye in the skies immediately after sunset.
According to N Raghunandan Kumar, Founder Secretary, Planetary Society of India, Mars was closest to Earth this year, at a distance of 88 million kms, on December 18.
On December 24 – Sun, Earth and Mars – will be in one straight line and opposite to each other, he said.
Similar incident had occurred in 2005, when the planet was at a distance of 68 million kms and before that in 2003, when the distance of Mars and Earth was just 55 million kms.
This closeness of the red planet offers people in general and scientists and astronomers in particular, a chance to gaze at Mars with the naked eye and gather further information about it, Kumar said.
The planet can be seen in the evening between north east and east direction immediately after sunset on Christmas eve.
When the sun sets mars rises and vice-versa. Hence 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.
Earth makes two trips around the Sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip, so sometimes the two planets are on opposite sides of the Sun, Kumar explained.
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