2018 Week 30: (July 22-July 28)

We have just had another decent week for viewing.  It may have been a tad humid on a few occasions but the waxing crescent Moon was in the sky.  THIS IS THE WEEK we have all been waiting for.  This will likely be one of the stories of the year.  Mars will reach opposition Thursday evening at 23:00.  It will then reach its closest approach several nights later on the morning of July 31 at 02:00.

We have been building up the Mars event over the past few weeks and months.  It will be at its biggest and brightest since 2003 and will not be this close again until 2035.  This is a do not miss event!

The details for the week are presented in the table below.

Date	Event
July 25	Saturn 2°S of Moon
July 26	Mars at Opposition
July 27	Full Moon
July 27	Total Lunar Eclipse
July 27	South Delta-Aquariid Meteors Peak

First of all, do not get excited about the total lunar eclipse.  It will not be visible from Canada.  Actually, Cape Spear in Newfoundland (easternmost point in Canada) will have the Moon's penumbra appear on lunar surface for 19 minutes.  This will not be discernible to the naked eye.

On Tuesday night it might be worth it to head out around 0:00 MDT.  Saturn will be sitting just below the moon.  They can be seen in the same binocular field or wide field telescope view.

Friday night through into early Saturday morning the Southern δ-Aquariid Meteors peak.  This is an annual shower that occurs at the end of July each year.  The maximum estimated rate is usually around 20 per hour under perfect conditions.  Expect to be lucky to catch 5 an hour under suburban skies.  The radiant point is located just east of Delta Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius.  The Full Moon will be in the constellation next door which will add to the light pollution.

Delta Aquariid Radiant

The highlight of the week will be Mars.  Astronomers have been waiting years for this close Martian opposition.

If you would look in the southeastern sky an hour or two after sunset you would see a bright yellow ball of light.  Mars is usually red but with a global dust storm encompassing the planet it appears more yellow than red.  This is quite unfortunate as it will be difficult to see surface features on Mars.  I was hoping to see Mount Olympus and Syrtis Major Planum from my backyard!  It seems we may be lucky to catch a polar ice cap!

If you would like to explore the surface of Mars NASA has a great interactive program that can be found at the link below.

https://mars.nasa.gov/maps/explore-mars-map/fullscreen/

NASA's Explore Mars Map

Mars will remain relatively large in our sky (>20") until the first week of September.  Hopefully the dust storm will settle between now and then.  It will once again be larger than 20" (although not as large as this year) throughout September and October 2020.  However, after 2020 we won't see Mars break the 20" barrier until the mid 30's.

Get outside and see the planets march across the southern sky and know that you will not see Mars this bright again until 2035!