A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this close-up of the red planet Mars when it was just 55 million miles ? 88 million kilometers ? away. This color image was assembled from a series of exposures taken within 36 hours of the Mars closest approach with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Mars will be closest to Earth on December 18, at 11:45 p.m. Universal Time (6:45 p.m. EST).
General_Information
What is Hubble Heritage?
A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this close-up of the red planet Mars when it was just 55 million miles ? 88 million kilometers ? away. This color image was assembled from a series of exposures taken within 36 hours of the Mars closest approach with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Mars will be closest to Earth on December 18, at 11:45 p.m. Universal Time (6:45 p.m. EST).
About the Object Object Name: Mars Object Description: Planet Distance from the Sun: The semi-major axis of Mars' orbit about the sun is 1.52 Astronomical Units (A.U.) or 142 million miles (228 million km). Distance from the Earth: At the December 18, 2007 closest approach, Mars was 55 million miles (88 million kilometers) from Earth. About the Data Data Description: This image was created from the HST proposal 11361: K. Noll (The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI), J. Bell III (Cornell Univ.), M. Wolff (Space Science Institute), H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, and W. Januszewski (Hubble Heritage Team, STScI). Instrument: WFPC2 Exposure Date(s): December, 2007 Filters: F410M (410 nm), F502N (502 nm), and F673N (673 nm) About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (Cornell University) and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute) Release Date: December 18, 2007 Orientation: Mars: Closest Approach 2007 [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release:
About the Object Object Name: Mars Object Description: Planet Distance from the Sun: The semi-major axis of Mars' orbit about the sun is 1.52 Astronomical Units (A.U.) or 142 million miles (228 million km). Distance from the Earth: At the December 18, 2007 closest approach, Mars was 55 million miles (88 million kilometers) from Earth. About the Data Data Description: This image was created from the HST proposal 11361: K. Noll (The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI), J. Bell III (Cornell Univ.), M. Wolff (Space Science Institute), H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, and W. Januszewski (Hubble Heritage Team, STScI). Instrument: WFPC2 Exposure Date(s): December, 2007 Filters: F410M (410 nm), F502N (502 nm), and F673N (673 nm) About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (Cornell University) and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute) Release Date: December 18, 2007 Orientation: Mars: Closest Approach 2007 [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast Facts
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*Release Date*:December 18, 2007 10:00 AM (EST)
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*Release Date*:December 18, 2007 10:00 AM (EST)
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*Title*:Mars: Closest Approach 2007
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*Title*:Mars: Closest Approach 2007
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2007-45c
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2007-45c
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*Description*:>
On December 18th, our planetary neighbor will be as close to us than at any time over the past two years. Almost a week later, on December 24th, the orbits of Earth and Mars will bring the two planets in alignment with the Sun during a phenomenon known as Mars Opposition. Because of its relatively close proximity to Earth, Mars will outshine the brightest star, Sirius, and from now until April, you can see the Red Planet all night long. These oppositions occur every 26 months, but each is different. Back in 2003, the two planets converged and were at its closest point in 60,000 years. While the 2007 Opposition isn't setting any records, this is an ideal time for astronomers on the ground to take a closer look at Mars. It won't be this bright and big again until 2016.
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*Description*:>
On December 18th, our planetary neighbor will be as close to us than at any time over the past two years. Almost a week later, on December 24th, the orbits of Earth and Mars will bring the two planets in alignment with the Sun during a phenomenon known as Mars Opposition. Because of its relatively close proximity to Earth, Mars will outshine the brightest star, Sirius, and from now until April, you can see the Red Planet all night long. These oppositions occur every 26 months, but each is different. Back in 2003, the two planets converged and were at its closest point in 60,000 years. While the 2007 Opposition isn't setting any records, this is an ideal time for astronomers on the ground to take a closer look at Mars. It won't be this bright and big again until 2016.
