This image of Mars was created using photographs taken on February 24 during a swing-by of Mars by the Rosetta spacecraft using the OSIRIS orange (red), green, and blue color filters.
For months, Mars has been visible in the morning sky. Mars orbits the sun 1.5 times slower than Earth because of its greater distance from the sun. Now that Earth is slowly catching up to it, it will become visible sooner.
Face east approximately 10:30 p.m. to see Mars. Now, it will be relatively brilliant and intense—brighter than most stars. Aldebaran, a red massive star nearby, should not be confused with Mars.
The horns of Taurus, the Bull, are where the red planet rests. Elnath and Zeta Tauri are the two stars at the bull’s horn points. Mars will remain in this region for the upcoming few weeks.
You could notice something strange if you pay close attention to the planet: Mars will soon begin to shift backward in the sky. Retrograde motion is what astronomers refer to. It’s evident that Mars doesn’t actually begin orbiting backwards; this is more of an optical illusion brought on by the motion of the Earth. It resembles travelling down a freeway in certain ways. When you stamp on the gas pedal in front of a car travelling 65 miles per hour, the other car will momentarily appear to be moving backward as you pass it. Similar to how the Earth is moving “backward” in the sky, Mars is beginning to pass it. On October 30, it will begin this retrograde motion.
Mars is visible for the majority of the night. At 4 a.m., the planet will be high in the south. At sunrise, it can be seen high in the western sky. Over the coming weeks, Mars will continue to shine brighter and migrate toward the west. On December 1, it will be closest to us.
