{"id":59221,"date":"2024-05-28T13:20:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T13:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ed5ba48b-211c-420c-a232-114c15fb97fc"},"modified":"2024-05-28T13:50:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T13:50:19","slug":"mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months\/","title":{"rendered":"Mars fans rejoice. Red Planet meets Saturn and the Moon in June, then will improve over the coming months"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 28 May 2024 at 13:20 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Mars next reaches opposition<\/a> in January 2025, which may seem like a long way away if you’re a fan of observing the Red Planet through your telescope.<\/p>

And if you are an avid Mars observer, it may currently seem like there’s not much to get excited about, but the planet is still worth taking a look at through the eyepiece in June.<\/p>

Mars is a mag. +1.0 morning object at the start of June<\/strong> 2024, rising 100 minutes before the Sun.<\/p>

We can look forward to Mars at opposition in January 2025, when the Red Planet will be a wonderful sight in the sky. Credit: Robert Smith, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, 7 December 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A 14%-lit waning crescent Moon sits 3.3\u00b0 northeast of the planet on the morning of 3 June<\/strong>.<\/p>

The pair will be visible together low in the east shortly after rising, say around 03:30 BST (02:30 UT).<\/p>

By 30 June<\/strong>, although compromised by the lack of true darkness as seen from the UK, Mars begins to establish its presence in the morning sky as it rises ahead of bright Jupiter.<\/p>

On 30 June<\/strong>, Mars rises around 02:00 BST (01:00 UT), which is nearly three hours before the Sun.<\/p>

\"Chart
Mars, Saturn and the Moon as they will appear at around 03:45 BST (02:45 UT) at the start of June. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Observing Mars<\/strong><\/h2>

Observing the planet through a telescope reveals that there\u2019s not much to Mars currently.<\/p>

Still at a good distance from Earth, it presents an apparent diameter of just 5 arcseconds at the end of June.<\/p>

At such a size, seeing disc detail will require a moderate-sized telescope and, even then, as it\u2019s at such a low altitude above the horizon, any surface markings will be very hard to make out.\u00a0<\/p>

Mars is currently moving east among the stars, heading for a conjunction with Uranus next month on 15 and 16 July<\/strong>.<\/p>

\"Albedo
Albedo features on Mars. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>

As the nights start to lengthen after the June solstice, the area Mars is located in will appear darker in the early hours.<\/p>

After what has been a challenging few months with the planets, the situation is thankfully improving, with a stunning scene forming within Taurus over the next few weeks.<\/p>

And, of course, Mars opposition<\/a> will occur on 16 January 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>

We\u2019re not there yet, but it\u2019s always good to get a handle on where things are to ensure you\u2019re ready for when the planets start to get good again.<\/p>

Quick facts<\/strong><\/h2>
  • Best time to see:<\/strong> 30 June, 03:50 BST (02:50 UT)<\/li>
  • Altitude:<\/strong> 15\u00b0<\/li>
  • Location:<\/strong> Aries<\/li>
  • Direction:<\/strong> East<\/li>
  • Features:<\/strong> Surface markings, weather<\/li>
  • Recommended equipment:<\/strong> 150mm scope or larger<\/li><\/ul>

    This guide appeared in the June 2024 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Pete Lawrence Published: Tuesday, 28 May 2024 at 13:20 PM Mars next reaches opposition in January 2025, which may seem like a long way away if you’re a fan of observing the Red Planet through your telescope. And if you are an avid Mars observer, it may currently seem like there’s not much to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":59222,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/mars-fans-rejoice-red-planet-meets-saturn-and-the-moon-in-june-then-will-improve-over-the-coming-months.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Pete Lawrence Published: Tuesday, 28 May 2024 at 13:20 PM Mars next reaches opposition in January 2025, which may seem like a long way away if you’re a fan of observing the Red Planet through your telescope. And if you are an avid Mars observer, it may currently seem like there’s not much to…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/59221"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}