Mars 2007

Mars will come into its Opposition on December 24, 2007 in constellation Gemini. Six days earlier, on December 18, 2007, the planet will have come to its closes distance to Earth during this apparation: 88.42 million km (55 million miles, or 0.58935 AU). This is not very close, as Mars will be quite close to its aphelion at the time of this opposition. As usual, this approach will offer another opportunity to launch spacecraft to the red planet: Nasa intends to send the Mars lander Phoenix.

The planet will be situated far north: At a northern declination of +26:46 at opposition time, Northern hemisphere observers will find it high in their meridian, and Southerners will find it low in the North. In this rather aphelic opposition, the planet will become only as bright as mag -1.64, and of diameter 15.88 arc seconds around that time.

Chronology of the 2007 Mars Apparition

Oct 23, 2006
Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Virgo. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun as seen from Mars. Distance 388 million km (2.594 AU), apparent diameter 3.61", brightness +1.57 mag. This conjunction, which also ends the 2005 apparition of Mars starts the 2007 apparition of Mars.
Nov 4, 2006
Mars leaves constellation Virgo and enters Libra.
Dec 2, 2006
Mars comes closer than 2.5 AU.
Dec 3, 2006
Mars passes the Descending Node of its orbit and will be south of the Ecliptic for 1/2 Mars year.
Dec 7, 2006
Mars leaves constellation Libra and enters Scorpius.
Dec 17, 2006
Mars leaves constellation Scorpius and enters Ophiuchus.
Dec 30, 2006
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.5 mag.
Jan 1, 2007
Mars shines at mag +1.49 in constellation Ophiuchus with an apparent diameter of merely 3.93".
Jan 11, 2007
Mars leave constellation Ophiuchus and enters Sagittarius.
Feb 7, 2007
Northern Autumn, Southern Spring Equinox on Mars.
Feb 25, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Sagittarius and enters Capricornus.
Mar 17, 2007
Mars comes closer than 2.0 AU.
Apr 2, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Capricornus and enters Aquarius.
Apr 11, 2007
Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 5".
Apr 14, 2007
Moon occults Mars (01:28 UT)
Apr 30, 2007
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.0 mag.
May 9, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Aquarius and enters Pisces.
May 24, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Cetus.
May 29, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Cetus and enters Pisces (again).
Jun 4, 2007
Mars in Perihelion (1.38148 AU).
Jun 26, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Aries.
Mars comes closer than 1.5 AU.
Jul 4, 2007
Northern Winter, Southern Summer Solstice on Mars.
Jul 27, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Aries and enters Taurus.
Aug 4, 2007
Phoenix Mars Lander launches successfully with Delta II from KSC (NASA)
Aug 4, 2007
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +0.5 mag.
Sep 25, 2007
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds 0.0 mag.
Mars comes closer than 1.0 AU.
Sep 29, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Taurus and enters Gemini.
Oct 3, 2007
Mars passes the Ascending Node of its orbit and will be north of the Ecliptic for 1/2 Mars year.
Oct 5, 2007
Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 10".
Oct 26, 2007
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -0.5 mag.
Nov 15, 2007
Mars becomes stationary and then starts its retrograde opposition loop, as Earth passes between the Red Planet and the Sun.
Nov 18, 2007
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -1.0 mag.
Nov 30, 2007
Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 15".
Dec 9, 2007
Northern Spring, Southern Autumn Equinox on Mars.
Dec 12, 2007
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -1.50 mag.
Dec 18, 2007
Closest approach of Mars and Earth (0.589 AU = 88.42 million km). Apparent diameter of Mars is 15.88".
Dec 24, 2007
Mars opposition on Earth, Earth in inferior conjunction on Mars. Apparent brightness of Mars reaches -1.64 mag in constellation Gemini.
Dec 24, 2007
Moon occults Mars (03:04 UT)
Dec 30, 2007
Mars leaves constellation Gemini and enters Taurus again, during retrograde opposition loop.
Jan 1, 2008
Mars shines bright at -1.50 mag in constellation Taurus near the border to Gemini, and at a distance of ; its apparent diameter is 15.4".
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -1.5 mag.
Jan 6, 2008
Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 15".
Jan 18, 2008
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -1.0 mag.
Jan 19, 2008
Moon occults Mars (23:40 UT)
Jan 31, 2008
Mars becomes stationary to end its retrograde opposition loop as the Earth has passed it on its inner orbit, and proceeds in prograde apparent motion.
Feb 4, 2008
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -0.5 mag.
Feb 19,2008
Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 10".
Feb 22, 2008
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than 0.0 mag.
Feb 26, 2008
Mars moves beyond 1.0 AU distance.
Mar 5, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Taurus and enters Gemini (again).
Mar 15, 2008
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +0.5 mag.
Apr 12, 2008
Moon occults Mars (06:00 UT)
Apr 14, 2008
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +1.0 mag.
Apr 17, 2008
Mars moves beyond 1.5 AU distance.
May 5, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Gemini and enters Cancer.
May 10, 2008
Moon occults Mars (13:54 UT)
May 13, 2008
Mars in Aphelion (1.66594 AU).
May 25, 2008
Mars lander Phoenix arrives at Mars: successful softlanding in the North Polar Region
May 29, 2008
Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 5".
Jun 3, 2008
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +1.5 mag.
Jun 8, 2008
Moon occults Mars (01:29 UT)
Jun 10, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Cancer and enters Leo.
Jun 14, 2008
Mars moves beyond 2.0 AU distance.
Jun 25, 2008
Northern Summer, Southern Winter Solstice on Mars.
Aug 9, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Leo and enters Virgo.
Aug 13, 2005
Mars at its faintest: Only about +1.72 mag.
Oct 15, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Virgo and enters Libra.
Oct 19, 2008
Mars moves beyond 2.5 AU distance.
Oct 20, 2008
Mars passes the Descending Node of its orbit and will be south of the Ecliptic for 1/2 Mars year.
Oct 31, 2008
Mars at its greatest distance from Earth: 2.50335 AU. The planet's apparent diameter reaches a minimum of 3.74".
Nov 4, 2008
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.5 mag.
Nov 12, 2008
Mars comes closer than 2.5 AU (again).
Nov 16, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Libra and enters Scorpius.
Nov 27, 2008
Mars leaves constellation Scorpius and enters Ophiuchus.
Dec 5, 2008
Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Ophiuchus. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun as seen from Mars. Distance 371 million km (2.4777 AU), apparent diameter 3.78", brightness +1.33 mag. This conjunction ends the 2007 apparition of Mars. It also starts the 2009/2010 apparition of Mars.

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Last Modification: May 28, 2008