nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

I pulled this stuff from Starry Nights ...looks like some pretty cool opportunities to get Mars along with some Deep Space Stuff this year.

This year, the Red Planet will shine brighter than it has since 2003.

March 12, 2018: Mars will enter Sagittarius and the heart of the Milky Way, setting up several close encounters with deep-sky objects.

March 19, 2018: On the morning of March 19, in a dark moonless sky, Mars will pass directly between the Triffid and Lagoon nebulas. A larger-aperture telescope should allow you to see the nebulas above and below the planet. This event will also make a lovely long-exposure photograph through a tracking telescope.

April 2, 2018: On April 2, Mars will pass only 22 arc-minutes (about two-thirds of a full moon diameter) above the globular cluster Messier 22, with Saturn sitting about a finger's width above them.

May 14, 2018: On May 14, Mars will pass only 18 arc-minutes below another globular cluster, Messier 75, while transitioning into Capricornus. Mars (located only 6 light-minutes from Earth) and the cluster (situated a whopping 68,000 light-years from us) will both appear together in a small telescope's eyepiece.

July 27, 2018: Mars will continue to brighten and grow in size as we approach opposition night on July 27. At opposition, Mars' disk will be 24.3 arc-seconds across (or two-thirds the size of Jupiter’s disk) and shine with a visual magnitude of -2.8.

July 31, 2018: Closest approach to Earth occurs on July 31. On that night, Earth will be within 0.385 astronomical units (1 AU is the mean sun-Earth distance), or 57,590,630 kilometers, of Mars. This is your best chance, even with a small telescope, to see Mars' polar cap of frozen carbon dioxide and water ice, along with darker and lighter regions on the planet.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

Why thank you. Just bookmarked your note. Appreciate it.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks Ed!
Mars 12th is my birfday.
So I might remember that...
Otherwise, bookmarked here too.

Now if I can remember to actually look at it...

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Excuse my astronomical ignorance, but in 3 days, how far will Mars' position vary from the 12th? I will be in Death Valley, CA on the 14th and plan on doing Milky Way shots.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Thanks for Mars update! I've printed it and posted in on my observing schedule...

bwa

stepping beyond Loc: usa eastcoast

I hope the clear sky god grants me a wish. Thank for the heads up Ed.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

At 6:00 am Mars will be about 10 degrees from Saturn EST so make the time change adjustment for your location....my guess about 4:00 am. pacific will be a good time ...they will be low on the horizon about 35 degrees or so.

At the same time Mars will be about 3 degrees from M8 (Lagoon Nebula) - a Wide Field - 400mm or less can them both.

Have fun and clear skies!

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SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Ed, Just a quick question about the compass rose represented in the image.
I've always used, I guess, the earthbound N-S, E-W, where North is upward, South is down, East is right, and West is left.
I've often wondered if I was referencing the compass rose correctly with the night sky.

I see in your example that the East and West references appear reversed. So I'm pondering how I stand and look North, The North-forward, South-rearward, East-right, and West-left.
But with E-W reversed, I would have to lay on my back, and it would be the correct representation. Like laying in the tall grass in the summertime looking up...

Probably a moot point anyway, Space has no Earthly bounds. Just us amoeba do.

But your image representations have the flipped E-W, so was curious and hoping to broaden my pondering of sky reference.

Thank Goodness I have Polaris....

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Not sure what you mean....but this is a screen shot (zoomed out) so you can see that North is aimed at the celestial north. West is pointing to the west as is south and east.

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SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

These are all depicted as if we were to be looking at a map on a table. Compass Roses.

Yet the one in your images has East and West reversed.
And I'm wondering if it is because of looking up...
Instead of looking down.

I have always been one to ask the difficult questions.

Crap weather here tonight....

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

You have my curiosity perked. Which picture are you referring too? If I am north centered.....the compass is reversed but that is as it is suppose to be. PUZZLED but love a mystery

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Never Mind..
Jim

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

All of them. The E-W of the compass rose is depicted as if one is looking up, as opposed to looking down upon a map of the Earth.
I just tried an experiment with my phone. I have a Compass/Level app on it. So I opened it and calibrated it and got a crude North on it, back down towards the desk.
Then held it up as if looking into the sky, back up, face (screen) down towards me.
North and South remained true. But East and West became reversed.
But that's what made me wonder. I've always been use to looking at a map as if looking down upon the Earth, and North is basically referred to as Up. So your back is towards the sky. East is right, West is left.
Now lay down on the ground head North, feet will obviously be South. East is now your Left, and West will be to your right. And the compass rose would be drawn as depicted in your images.

OK, clear as mud.

Just never saw a compass rose shown that way before, and it was confusing.

Like, if you were on the Starship Enterprize, and a brazillian miles from Earth, a Compass Rose would be a forgotten irrelevant thing from history.

But at least I've figured out I will need to lay on my back to read the diagram.
(Getting back up is the problem...)

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

My man, my man......you are way "overthinking" this. But - you can lay on your back and I have added a view that should make more sense - I just zoomed out :)

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SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Oh... not at all.
Thank Goodness our Earthly compasses are useless in space.


East and West are still inverted...