Moon and Mars Comparison
August 28, 2003
Provided by: Christine Churchill
Summary authors & editors: Christine Churchill; Jim Foster
The above photo was taken in mid July from Kenwood, California and shows a comparison between the apparent size and brightness of Mars and the Moon. Mars is the russet speck at upper left. Even though from Earth, Mars pales in comparison to our satellite, it's nonetheless the brightest object in the night sky now. Mars is as bright and appears as large (25.1 arc seconds) as it has in tens of thousands of years. Tonight, Mars is at opposition, meaning that the Earth is exactly between the Sun and the Red Planet -- it's up all night long. At the time the photo was captured, the Moon was in a waning gibbous phase.
Photo details: Homemade 10" (25cm) Dobsonian telescope (40mm eyepiece - 4.1), using a Sony Mavica camera. Time: July 16, 2003, 11:06:19 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time).
Related Links: