Starry Night is an excellent
aid for exploring the heavens...a superb, well documented program that
will transform you into an expert in no time. "There are few experiences as invigorating as being out in the countryside standing under a canopy of star on a still night. Starry Night conveys that feeling better than any other desktop planetarium" --New York Times |
StarGazer The Planet Mars Is Getting Ready to Back Up! And You Can Watch It Shift Into Reverse From Your Own Back Yard Mars is near the constellation Scorpius in April. Stargazers at mid-northern latitudes will only be able to see Scorpius in the hours before sunset, very low along the southern horizon. Antares is the brightest star in Scorpius. The retrograde motion of Mars is shown in this picture. After moving eastward away from Scorpius, Mars appears to change course and move west from mid-May to mid-July before again shifting direction and heading east. The retrograde motion that we see in the sky occurs when Earth "passes" the slower-moving Mars as they lap around the sun. Click here to watch a short (~600 kb) QuickTime movie showing Earth and Mars moving around the sun. Note the date that is displayed in the top left corner. Remember that the retrograde motion we see takes place between mid-May and mid-July.
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