                     APOD: 2018 July 27 - Mars Opposition

                         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 July 27
                                      [2]
                               Mars Opposition
      Image Credit & Copyright [3] : NASA [4] , ESA [5] , and STScI [6]

Explanation: Look opposite the Sun in the sky tonight and you'll see Mars at
its brightest [7] . Also within days of its closest approach Mars [8]  rises
at sunset, near its brightest and best for telescopic observers too, except
for the dust storm still blanketing the Red Planet. These two Hubble Space
Telescope images compare Mars' appearance near its 2016 and 2018 oppositions
[9] . In 2016 the martian atmosphere was clear. Captured just days ago [10] ,
the 2018 image shows almost the same face of Mars. Surface features obscured
by dust, the planet's cloud enshrouded south pole is tilted more toward the
Sun. Increased heat in the southern hemisphere spring and summer likely
triggers planet wide dust storms. Of course, if you look opposite the Sun in
the sky tonight, you'll also see a Full Moon near Mars. Skygazers NOT [11]
located in North America could see the Red Planet near a Red Moon [12] during
a Total Lunar Eclipse [13] .

                    Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend [14]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [26] (MTU [27] ) & Jerry Bonnell [28]
                                  (UMCP [29] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [30] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [31]
              A service of: ASD [32]  at NASA [33]  / GSFC [34]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [35]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1807/MarsOpp2panelSTSCI_2094.jpg
  [3] http://hubblesite.org/about_us/copyright.php
  [4] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [5] http://www.spacetelescope.org
  [6] http://www.stsci.edu
  [7] https://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/nightsky/opposition/
  [8] https://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/nightsky/ mars-close-approach/
  [9] http://hubblesite.org/image/4216/news
  [10] http://hubblesite.org/image/4215/news
  [11] http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEping/2001-2100/ LE2018-07-27T.gif
  [12] http://earthsky.org/tonight/ centurys-longest-lunar-eclipse-july-27
  [13] http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/
LE2018Jul27Tprime.html
  [14] ap180728.html
  [15] ap180726.html
  [16] archivepix.html
  [17] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [18] lib/aptree.html
  [19] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [20] calendar/allyears.html
  [21] /apod.rss
  [22] lib/edlinks.html
  [23] lib/about_apod.html
  [24] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180727
  [25] ap180728.html
  [26] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [27] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [28] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [29] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [30] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [31] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [32] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [33] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [34] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [35] http://www.mtu.edu/
