In October 2005, Mars, the Red Planet, gleamed in the evening eastern sky.
It was the brightest celestial object following Venus, our Twin Planet. Mars
was then nearing opposition, the point at which Mars becomes opposite to the
Sun in the sky. This phenomenon occurs every 26 months, and around opposition,
Mars also reaches its minimum distance from our planet.
(For more information about the November 2005 Mars opposition, please read
the online article, linked below.)
PSC astronomer Aymen Ibrahem obtained numerous photos of Mars in October
and early November 2005. Several of these photos were published recently by
European and American publishers.
One of Mr. Ibrahem's photos is called "Mars over Arabian
Landscape". It was taken in Alexandria, and shows Mars and the Moon over
palm trees.
Fig (1)
Mars over Arabian Landscape
![Mars, Moon and Red Date - by: Aymen Ibrahem (Canon 28mm, F2.8, 3 second exposure, Kodak Ultra 400)](mars_files/image001.jpg)
The photo shows Mars and the Moon over palm
trees in Alexandria, Egypt.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy Specialist
Fig (2)
Red Planet and Red Date
![Red Planet and Red Date - by: Aymen Ibrahem (Canon 28mm, F2.8, 1 second exposure, Kodak Ultra 400)](mars_files/image002.jpg)
The photo shows Mars over red dates palm trees.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy
Specialist
Fig (3)
Red Planet Returns
![Red Planet and Trees - by: Aymen Ibrahem (Canon 28mm, F2.8, 20 second exposure, Kodak Ultra 400)](mars_files/image003.jpg)
The photo shows Mars near the Pleiades stellar
cluster, among some of the autumn star patterns, over Alexandria, Egypt.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy
Specialist
Fig (4)
Red Planet and Golden Trees
![Red Planet and Golden Trees - by: Aymen Ibrahem (Canon 28mm, F2.8, 5 second exposure, Kodak Ultra 400)](mars_files/image004.jpg)
Foreground illumination is provided by street
lights.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy
Specialist
Currently, Mars shines high in the sky, as an orange star, near the zenith
(the point directly overhead) during dusk. It is located near the famous
asterism (star group) the Pleiades, and the bright star Aldebaran, which is
also orange in color.
On 29 October 2005, Mars reached its closest distance from Earth since 27
August 2003. Its distance from Earth was about 70 million kilometers;
currently, its distance is approximately 190 million kilometers.
Although the brightness of Mars has much faded since opposition, on 7
November 2005, it remains among the brightest objects in the evening sky.
In January 2006, NASA celebrated the second anniversary of the landings of
the twin robotic Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs), Spirit and Opportunity. These
six-wheeled, robotic geologists have been exploring the surface of Mars,
producing numerous photos and making startling discoveries for over two years.
The MERs mission is ranked as a tremendous success.
Fig (5)
Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, an artist's
impression
![](mars_files/image005.jpg)
Credit: NASA-JPL
Further reading
Red Planet Returns!!
http://www.bibalex.org/Eclipse2006/News_Details.aspx?id=4
Mars
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mars&Display=Overview
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
PSC, Senior Astronomy Specialist