The Red Planet

Mars! Throughout 2017 Mars has been a relatively faint planet. This is because the distance between Mars and our planet is constantly changing. To the observer, this causes major swings in the magnitude of light that is seen from Earth. On July 27th Mars will be passing the Earth in opposition to the Sun creating magnitudes of brightness not seen since 2003! In fact, from July 7th to September 7th Mars will overtake Jupiter as the 3rd brightest object in our night sky after the Moon and Venus! This perihelic opposition  will be the best opportunity to view Mars as we are at the peak of a 2 year cycle and the peak of a 15 year cycle.

If you have never observed Mars before, it is a breathtaking experience that everyone should see! With a medium power telescope and good conditions, the surfaces features are visible and stunning with the possibility of catching a glimpse of the moons! If you need some filters to help you view Mars click HERE. We are also having an incredible sale on our Nexstar Evolution  and Advanced VX series of telescopes that are great for viewing Mars and many other celestial events for years to come. We will have these and many other telescopes set up at our next star party August 18. Give us a call with your Questions! We are here to serve the amateur astronomy community. 1-888-471-9991