Mars 2011/2012

Mars will come into Opposition on March 3, 2012 in the constellation Leo. Two days later, on March 5, 2012, the planet will have its closest approach to Earth during this apparition: 100.78 million km (0.6737 AU). This is close to the least close, or largest value, as Mars will be considerably close to the aphelion of its orbit, which it will have passed just on February 15, 2012. Opposition occurs close to Northern Summer/Southern Winter Solstice on Mars, which takes place on March 30, 2012, so that Earth will be at high northern declination from Mars, and the Martian North Pole will be in good view from Earth.

As usual, this opposition will provide another opportunity to send spacecraft to Mars. Nasa has sent its Mars lander-rover mission, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL, also named Curiosity), which was successfully launched on November 26, 2011, and after interplanetary cruise, arrived at Mars on August 6, 2012, did a successful softlanding, and is since operating on Mars' surface. The Russian Space Agency had also delayed its Phobos-Grunt mission from 2009/2010 to this apparition; this was an attempt to return samples from Mars' moon Phobos to be launched together with the Chinese Mars Orbiter Ying Huo 1; this mission was launched on November 8, 2011, but failed to leave Low Earth Orbit and eventually got lost in its reentry on January 15, 2012.

Chronology of the 2011/2012 Mars Apparition

Feb 4, 2011
Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Capricornus. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun as seen from Mars. Distance 355 million km (2.3748 AU), apparent diameter 3.944", brightness +1.08 mag. This conjunction, which also ends the 2009/2010 apparition of Mars, starts the 2012 apparition of Mars.
Feb 11, 2011
Mars at its greatest southern heliocentric ecliptic latitude (-1.8489 deg).
Feb 19, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Capricornus and enters Aquarius.
Mar 9, 2011
Mars in Perihelion (1.38138 AU, 206.6 million km).
Mar 25, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Aquarius and enters Pisces.
Apr 9, 2011
Northern Winter, Southern Summer Solstice on Mars.
Apr 11, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Cetus for a 2-day stay.
Apr 13, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Cetus and re-enters Pisces.
May 10, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Aries.
Jun 12, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Aries and enters Taurus.
Jul 8, 2011
Mars passes the Ascending Node of its orbit and will be North of the Ecliptic for 1/2 Mars year.
Jul 27, 2011
Moon occults Mars (Pacific, South America).
Aug 3, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Taurus and enters Gemini.
Aug 6, 2011
Mars at minimal apparent visual brightness, +1.42 mag.
Aug 31, 2011
Mars comes closer than 2.0 AU.
Sep 14, 2011
Northern Spring, Southern Autumn Equinox on Mars.
Sep 16, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Gemini and enters Cancer.
Sep 21, 2011
Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 5".
Oct 19, 2011
Mars leaves constellation Cancer and enters Leo.
Nov 10, 2011
Mars comes closer than 1.5 AU.
Nov 11, 2011
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.0 mag.
Nov 26, 2011
Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity launches successfully with an Atlas 5 from KSC (Nasa)
Dec 16, 2011
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +0.5 mag.
Jan 1, 2012
Mars shines at +0.20 mag in constellation Leo with an apparent diameter of 9.0". Distance from Earth is 1.03957 AU (155.5 million km).
Jan 6, 2012
Mars comes closer than 1.0 AU.
Jan 9, 2012
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds 0.0 mag.
Mars at its greatest northern heliocentric ecliptic latitude (+1.8488 deg).
Jan 12, 2012
Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 10".
Jan 14, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Leo and enters Virgo.
Jan 29, 2012
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -0.5 mag.
Feb 4, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Virgo and re-enters Leo in retrograde motion.
Feb 15, 2012
Mars in Aphelion (1.66598 AU, 249.2 million km).
Feb 19, 2012
Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -1.0 mag.
Mar 3, 2012
Mars opposition on Earth, Earth in inferior conjunction on Mars. Apparent brightness of Mars reaches -1.23 mag in constellation Leo.
Mar 5, 2012
Closest approach of Mars and Earth (0.6737 AU = 100.78 million km). Apparent diameter of Mars is 13.89".
Mar 20, 2012
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -1.0 mag.
Mar 30, 2012
Northern Summer, Southern Winter Solstice on Mars.
Apr 10, 2012
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than -0.5 mag.
Apr 30, 2012
Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 10".
May 2, 2012
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than 0.0 mag.
May 8, 2012
Mars moves beyond 1.0 AU distance.
May 31, 2012
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +0.5 mag.
Jun 21, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Leo again and enters Virgo.
Jul 12, 2012
Mars moves beyond 1.5 AU distance.
Jul 19, 2012
Mars' apparent brightness becomes fainter than +1.0 mag.
Jul 25, 2012
Mars passes the Descending Node of its orbit and will be south of the Ecliptic for 1/2 Mars year.
Aug 6, 2012
Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity scheduled to arrive at Mars for direct-approach softlanding at Gale crater.
Sep 5, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Virgo and enters Libra.
Sep 15, 2012
Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 5".
Sep 19, 2012
Moon occults Mars (Pacific, South America, SW Atlantic).
Sep 30, 2012
Northern Autumn, Southern Spring Equinox on Mars.
Oct 6, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Libra and enters Scorpius.
Oct 15, 2012
Mars moves beyond 2.0 AU distance.
Oct 18, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Scorpius and enters Ophiuchus.
Mars at minimal apparent visual brightness, +1.24 mag.
Nov 13, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Ophiuchius and enters Sagittarius.
Dec 25, 2012
Mars leaves constellation Sagittarius and enters Capricornus.
Dec 29, 2012
Mars at its greatest southern heliocentric ecliptic latitude (-1.8487 deg).
Jan 1, 2013
Mars shines at +1.19 mag in constellation Capricornus with an apparent diameter of merely 4.2". Distance from Earth is 2.22499 AU (332.8 million km).
Jan 24, 2013
Mars in Perihelion (1.38149 AU, 206.6 million km).
Jan 29, 2013
Mars leaves constellation Capricornus and enters Aquarius.
Feb 24, 2013
Northern Winter, Southern Summer Solstice on Mars.
Mar 4, 2013
Mars leaves constellation Aquarius and enters Pisces.
Mar 21, 2013
Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Cetus for a 2-day stay.
Mar 23, 2013
Mars leaves constellation Cetus again and re-enters Pisces.
Apr 17, 2013
Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Pisces. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun as seen from Mars. Distance 364 million km (2.4321 AU), apparent diameter 3.853", brightness +1.19 mag. This conjunction ends the 2011/2012 apparition of Mars. It also starts the 2014 apparition of Mars.

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Last Modification: Fabruary 6, 2013