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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*Image Type:*: Astronomical/Illustr ation
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical/Illustr ation
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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-2007-45h
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2007-45h
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*Description*:
Every 26 months Mars is opposite the Sun in our nighttime sky. Since 1995, Mars has been at such an "opposition" with the Sun seven times. A color composite from each of the seven Hubble opposition observations has been assembled in this mosaic to showcase the beauty and splendor that is The Red Planet.
This mosaic of all seven globes of Mars shows relative variations in the apparent angular size of Mars over the years. Mars was the closest in 2003 when it came within 35 million miles (56 million kilometers) of Earth. The part of Mars that is tilted towards the Earth also shifts over time, resulting in the changing visibility of the polar caps. Clouds and dust storms, as well as the size of the ice caps, can change the appearance of Mars on time scales of days, weeks, and months. Other features of Mars, such as some of the large dark markings, have remained unchanged for centuries.
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*Description*:
Every 26 months Mars is opposite the Sun in our nighttime sky. Since 1995, Mars has been at such an "opposition" with the Sun seven times. A color composite from each of the seven Hubble opposition observations has been assembled in this mosaic to showcase the beauty and splendor that is The Red Planet.
This mosaic of all seven globes of Mars shows relative variations in the apparent angular size of Mars over the years. Mars was the closest in 2003 when it came within 35 million miles (56 million kilometers) of Earth. The part of Mars that is tilted towards the Earth also shifts over time, resulting in the changing visibility of the polar caps. Clouds and dust storms, as well as the size of the ice caps, can change the appearance of Mars on time scales of days, weeks, and months. Other features of Mars, such as some of the large dark markings, have remained unchanged for centuries.
