Mars 2003

[Mars on August 27, 2003, HST]

Mars on August 27, 2003, Hubble Space Telescope [caption] - more HST images of Mars

In the year 2003, Mars has come as close to Earth as it didn't come in millennia, not to speak of lifetimes. Mars opposition occurred on August 28, 2003 (17:58:49 UT), less than two days before the planet passes its perihelion on August 30. The closest approach of the two planets had already occurred one day earlier, on August 27 (09:51:14 UT); distance will be as close as 55.758 million km (more acurately, 55,758,006 km or 34,646,418 miles). At this distance, it appeared larger than at any historic time to now: 25.11 arc seconds in diameter.

This is the closest approach since a time of 59,619 years, when in 57,617 B.C., the planet came still a very little bit closer, 55.718 million km, and exhibited an apparent diameter of 25.13 seconds of arc. The next enclounter closer than the current 2003 one will occur on August 28, 2287, when Mars will be observable at an apparent diameter of 25.14".

At such a close distance, the planet has brightened up to visual magnitude -2.9, and appeared under an apparent diameter of 25.11 arc seconds; it outshone Jupiter notably (would even if that planet were in favorable opposition), and was only second to planet Venus.

As usual for Mars oppositions, the approach of Earth and Mars also provided an opportunity to send spacecraft to Mars. In 2003, ESO has launched Mars Express and Nasa is has brought the two Mars Exploration Rovers on their way. Also, after a final gravity-assist encounter with Earth, Japan's Nozomi spaceprobe, already launched in 1998, is finally on course to Mars this year.

Supplementary observations of Mars will be provided by the two active Mars orbiters, Mars Global Surveyor (launched 1996) and 2001 Mars Odyssey (launced 2001), as well as Earth orbiting telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope and, of course, ground-based observers on Earth.

  • Diagram of the 2003 Mars Opposition

    Chronology of the 2003 Mars Apparition

    Aug 10, 2002
    Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Cancer near the border to Leo. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun from Mars. Distance about 400 million km (2.67 AU) at this aphelic conjunction. This conjunction, which ended the planet's 2001 apparition, starts the 2003 apparition of Mars.
    The same day, Mars leaves constellation Cancer and enters Leo.
    Sep 21, 2002
    Mars in Aphelion (1.66613 AU)
    Oct 5, 2002
    Mars leaves constellation Leo and enters Virgo.
    Nov 3, 2002
    Northern Summer, Southern Winter Solstice on Mars.
    Dec 13, 2002
    Mars leaves constellation Virgo and enters Libra.
    Dec 30, 2002
    Moon occults Mars (01:37 UT)
    Jan 1, 2003
    Mars is seen in the morning sky in constellation Libra at a distance of about 307 million km (2.051 AU) from Earth, at about +1.5 mag apparent brightness and 4.6" apparent diameter.
    Jan 7, 2003
    Mars comes closer than 2.0 AU.
    Jan 21, 2003
    Mars leaves constellation Libra and enters Scorpius.
    Jan 24, 2003
    Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 5"
    Jan 27, 2003
    Moon occults Mars (14:59 UT)
    Jan 29, 2003
    Mars leaves constellation Scorpius and enters Ophiuchus.
    Jan 31, 2003
    Mars passes 5deg N of Antares.
    Feb 21, 2003
    As seen from Mars, Earth passes the Martian Celestial Equator to southern hemisphere. Now the South Pole is visible, the central latitude of the Martian disk is on Mars' southern hemisphere.
    Feb 25, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness exceeds +1.0 mag
    Feb 26, 2003
    Mars leaves constellation Ophiuchus and enters Sagittarius.
    Feb 28, 2003
    Mars passes the descending node of its orbit, moving to the south or Earth's orbital plane, the ecliptic, and getting southern ecliptic latitudes.
    Apr 21, 2003
    Mars leaves constellation Sagittarius and enters Capricorn.
    Apr 29, 2003
    Mars comes closer than 1.0 AU.
    May 1, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness exceeds 0.0 mag.
    May 5, 2003
    Northern Autumn, Southern Spring Equinox on Mars. About that time the South Polar Cap (SPC) should have its maximal extension (to about 65deg Southern areographic latitude).
    May 8, 2003
    Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 10".
    May 12, 2003
    From Mars, Earth is at its greatest Eastern elongation from the Sun at about 43 deg. From Earth, Mars phase is minimal, angle is 43 deg. Only 86 percent of the visible Mars hemisphere is illuminated.
    May 13, 2003
    Mars passes 2deg S of Neptune
    May 2003
    SPC disappears, clouds in the southern hemisphere probable. Hellas may become bright.
    Jun 2, 2003
    Mars Express spacecraft launched to Mars
    Jun 8, 2003
    Mars leaves constellation Capricorn and enters Aquarius
    Jun 10, 2003
    Spirit (Mars Exploration Rover 1) spacecraft launched to Mars
    Jun 15, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness exceeds -1.0 mag
    Jun 20, 2003
    Mars passes 3.2 deg S of Uranus
    Jun 21, 2003
    Appartent diameter of Mars exceeds 15".
    Jul 7, 2003
    Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover 2) spacecraft launched to Mars
    Jul 17, 2003
    Moon occults Mars (08:01 UT)
    Jul 19, 2003
    Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 20".
    Jul 20, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness exceeds -2.0 mag
    Jul 31, 2003
    Mars becomes stationary and then starts its retrograde opposition loop, as Earth passes between the Red Planet and the Sun.
    Aug 4, 2003
    Mars reaches its greatest southern heliocentric latitude (-1d 51').
    Aug 20, 2003
    Mars reaches its greatest southern geocentric latitude (-6d 42').
    Aug 27, 2003
    Closest approach of Mars and Earth (0.373 AU = 55.76 million km). Apparent diameter of Mars is 25.11".
    Aug 28, 2003
    Mars Opposition on Earth, Earth in Inferior Conjunction on Mars. Both planets are at helicentric longitude 335deg. Apparent brigtness of Mars reaches -2.88 mag.
    Aug 30, 2002
    Mars in Perihelion (distance from Sun 1.381 AU = 206.6 million km, heliocentric longitude 336 deg).
    Sep 9, 2003
    Moon occults Mars (11:59 UT)
    Sep 29, 2003
    Northern Winter, Southern Summer Solstice on Mars.
    Sep 30, 2003
    Mars becomes stationary, ends its retrograde opposition loop, and resumes apparent prograde motion.
    Oct 5, 2003
    Mars' apparent diameter decreases below 20".
    Oct 6, 2003
    Moon occults Mars (15:40 UT)
    Oct 10, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -2.0 mag.
    Nov 1, 2003
    Mars' apparent diameter decreases below 15".
    Nov 7, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -1.0 mag.
    Dec 4, 2003
    Mars leaves constellation Aquarius and enters Pisces.
    Dec 12, 2003
    Mars' apparent diameter decreases below 10".
    Dec 14, 2003
    From Mars, Earth is at its greatest Western elongation from the Sun at about 42 deg. From Earth, Mars phase is minimal, angle is 42 deg. Only 87 percent of the visible Mars hemisphere is illuminated.
    Dec 14, 2003
    Nozomi orbiter spacecraft passes close to Mars but fails to enter Mars orbit
    Dec 15, 2003
    As seen from Mars, Earth reaches the southernmost point of its apparent orbit at an areographic declination of -25.7 deg; this is equal to the maximal southern areographic latitude of the center of Mars' disk as seen from Earth.
    Dec 17, 2003
    Mars passes the Celestial Equator to Northern declinations.
    Dec 19, 2003
    Mars moves beyond 1.0 AU distance.
    Dec 21, 2003
    Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than 0.0 mag.
    Dec 25, 2003
    Mars Express spacecraft (orbiter and Beagle 2 lander) arrives at Mars; Beagle 2 lander lost during landing approach
    Dec 29, 2003
    Mars passes the ascending node of its orbit and is now north of Earth's orbit, the ecliptic (thus getting positive ecliptic latitudes)
    Dec 31, 2003
    Receded to a distance of 164.8 million km (1.102 AU), the apparent diameter of Mars has decreased to 8.4", its apparent brightness to +0.2 mag. It is seen in the evening sky in constellation Pisces.
    Jan 2, 2004
    Spirit (Mars Exploration Rover 1) spacecraft (Lander/Rover) arrives at Mars
    Jan 15, 2004
    Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +0.5 mag.
    Jan 25, 2004
    Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover 2) spacecraft (Lander/Rover) arrives at Mars.
    Feb 1, 2004
    Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Aries.
    Feb 21, 2004
    Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +1.0 mag.
    Feb 26, 2004
    Moon occults Mars (02:16 UT)
    Mar 5, 2004
    Northern Spring, Southern Autumn Equinox on Mars.
    Mar 13, 2004
    Mars leaves constellation Aries and enters Taurus.
    Mar 25, 2004
    Mars' apparent diameter decreases below 5".
    Mar 25, 2004
    Moon occults Mars (23:28 UT)
    Apr 9, 2004
    Mars moves beyond 2.0 AU distance.
    Apr 12, 2004
    Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +1.5 mag.
    May 7, 2004
    Mars leaves constellation Taurus and enters Gemini.
    Jun 20, 2004
    Mars leaves constellation Gemini and enters Cancer.
    Jul 15, 2004
    Mars at its faintest: Only +1.84 mag.
    Jul 22, 2004
    Mars leaves constellation Cancer and enters Leo.
    Aug 7, 2004
    Mars in Aphelion (1.66614 AU).
    Sep 6, 2004
    Mars at its greatest distance from Earth (2.66715 AU). Angular diameter is only 3.51", birghtness +1.75 mag.
    Sep 15, 2004
    Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Leo near the border to Virgo. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun from Mars. Distance about 400 million km (2.67 AU) at this aphelic conjunction. This conjunction ends the great 2003 apparition of Mars. It also starts the 2005 apparition of Mars. Diameter: 3.52", brightness: +1.72 mag.

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    Last Modification: May 7, 2012