Wow! Here’s a great time-lapse from a friend on Facebook, James McCue, showing Spica, Mars and the moon last night (February 19, 2014). It’s awesome, James! Thank you for the shout out and the video.
Most of the time, Mars is inconspicuous as seen from Earth . It has a cycle of appearances in Earth’s sky that lasts for about two years. It’s just now heading toward the peak of that cycle, with its best appearance in our sky, for the past two years, in April 2014. Between now and then watch for Mars! I’ll be brightening dramatically and appearing more and more prominent. When to see Mars in 2014.
Want to see some charts and read more about how they looked like night? Click here.
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.