Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In the so-called perihelic opposition Mars is closest to the Sun and is particularly close to Earth: Oppositions range from about 0.68 AU when Mars is near aphelion to only about 0.37 AU when Mars is near perihelion. [9]
The corresponding values for Earth are currently 23 h 56 m 4.0916 s and 24 h 00 m 00.002 s, respectively, which yields a conversion factor of 1.027 491 2517 Earth days/sol: thus, Mars's solar day is only about 2.75% longer than Earth's; approximately 73 sols pass for every 75 Earth days.
The apsides refer to the farthest (2) and nearest (3) points reached by an orbiting planetary body (2 and 3) with respect to a primary, or host, body (1). An apsis (from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís) 'arch, vault'; pl. apsides / ˈ æ p s ɪ ˌ d iː z / AP-sih-deez) [1] [2] is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body.
On both Earth and Mars, these two precessions are in opposite directions, and therefore add, to make the precession cycle between the tropical and anomalistic years 21,000 years on Earth and 29,700 Martian years (55,900 Earth years) on Mars. As on Earth, the period of rotation of Mars (the length of its day) is slowing down.
Previous perihelion passages were in 1986, 2061, 2134, and 2209. 2287 C/1979 Y1 (Bradfield) (suspected source of the July Pegasids) is expected to come to perihelion. [66] 2287 August 28 Closest perihelic opposition of Mars and Earth since August 27, 2003, at 55,688,405 km (34,603,170.6 mi; 0.372254 AU). 2288
NASA released a stunning image on Friday showing our home planet as well as the moon from Mars.
For Earth Day on April 22, interesting facts including who invented it, why it's on that date, and how it turned into a global movement.
As the two dates chosen here are equinoxes, this will be correct when perihelion, the date the Earth is closest to the Sun, falls on a solstice. The current perihelion, near January 4, is fairly close to the solstice of December 21 or 22.