Mars viewing is at its best!

[Jane H Jones]

Yesterday, December 18th Mars reached its closest approach to Earth, 
and 6 days later, on December 24th is Mars Opposition.  This year 
Mars is 55 million miles from Earth at closest approach.  This month 
and next month too both offer outstanding views of Mars, but by late 
January Earth pulls away from Mars and the best viewing window ends 
in mid-February.  So we've added some extra sidewalk astronomy 
viewing nights to the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers schedule. We may 
add more, too, so keep looking for these little notes from us.

Join us, weather permitting, in Pasadena, on Colorado Blvd somewhere 
between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Avenues Friday night December 21 and 
Saturday night at Monrovia's Library Park at Myrtle and Lime Streets 
(less room  for the next 2 years due to library construction 
fencing).  The current forecast calls for mostly clear both Friday 
and Saturday nights.  Do check out website for any weather changes. 
If the mostly clear conditions change to mostly cloudy, we would 
probably cancel and reschedule. Expect cold temperatures (high 
30's/low 40's)  this weekend - it'll be even colder - in the 20's on 
Mt. Wilson!  Both of these events will get started a little later so 
we can show Mars higher in the sky.  Plan on telescope viewing from 
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.  We probably will not arrive until then.  By 9:00 
p.m. we may be too cold to continue.  Our Sidewalk Astronomers 
founder, John Dobson,  is fond of saying "many are cold, but few are 
frozen". :-)

Each Mars opposition, Zolt Levay  from the Space Telescope Science 
Institute updates the excellent Hubble telescope  "Mars close 
encounters comparison chart ".  And he updated it just today.  I hope 
you enjoy it - it really helps to show the apparent size of Mars each 
year. 
http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/2007/45/images/i/formats/print.jpg

JPL has a Mars Opposition feature today too, it's great, especially 
the Mars Rotation video, and a link to the monthly What's Up  Video. 
:-) http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=1560

I hope to see you on the chilly sidewalk this weekend.  We only see 
our red neighbor on its approach to Earth every two years, and Mars 
won't be this close to Earth again until 2016.   I'll be handing out 
some very special NASA Mars lithographs this weekend, while the 
supplies last.

Want more Mars?  Visit my Mars page:  http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/

Finally, speaking of John Dobson, you might enjoy listening to 
astronomer Bob Cesarone's song about John Dobson, called "Telescope 
Man".  Bob's band, Northern Cross recorded the song a couple years 
ago, and he gave a copy of it to John (and to us) late last year. 
http://photo.whiteoaks.com/telescope-man.mp3

Jane

-- 
Jane Houston Jones
Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program
JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205
Pasadena, CA  91109  818-393-6435
jane.h.jones at jpl.nasa.gov
Cassini SOC http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
What's Up? http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/amateurastronomy/index.html