                  APOD: 2018 March 27 - Mars Between Nebulas

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2018 March 27
                                      [2]
                            Mars Between Nebulas
                Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer [3]

Explanation: What's that bright red spot between the Lagoon and Trifid
Nebulas? Mars. This gorgeous color deep-sky photograph [4]  captured the red
planet passing between the two notable nebulas -- cataloged by the 18th
century cosmic registrar Charles Messier [5]  as M8 and M20. M20 [6]  (upper
right of center), the Trifid Nebula [7] , presents a striking contrast in
red/blue colors and dark dust lanes. Across the bottom right is the expansive,
alluring red glow of M8, the Lagoon Nebula [8] . Both nebulae are a few
thousand light-year [9] s distant. By comparison [10] , temporarily situated
between them both, is the dominant "local" celestial beacon Mars [11] . Taken
last week, the red planet [12] was only about 10 [13]  light-minutes away.

                      Gallery:  Mars in Sagittarius [14]
                    Tomorrow's picture: blue moon tree [15]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [27] (MTU [28] ) & Jerry Bonnell [29]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1803/MarsLagoonTrifid_Voltmer_1920.jpg
  [3] http://www.voltmer.de/about/
  [4] https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacemovie/27056728228/in/pool-apods
  [5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Messier
  [6] ap130725.html
  [7] ap000328.html
  [8] ap130817.html
  [9]
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/
how_long_is_a_light_year.htm
  [10] https://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/40894660012/
  [11] http://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/facts/
  [12] http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/main/
  [13] http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/planets/mars2018.html
  [14]
https://www.facebook.com/pg/APOD.Sky/photos/
?tab=album&album_id=1385505908220291
  [15] ap180328.html
  [16] ap180326.html
  [17] archivepix.html
  [18] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [19] lib/aptree.html
  [20] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [21] calendar/allyears.html
  [22] /apod.rss
  [23] lib/edlinks.html
  [24] lib/about_apod.html
  [25] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180327
  [26] ap180328.html
  [27] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [28] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [29] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [30] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [31] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [32] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [33] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [34] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [36] http://www.mtu.edu/
