Saturday, November 19, 2022
4:00pm Setup for full darkness by 5:00pm (later arrivals welcome)
341 Route 126, Whitefield, ME 04353
Attend what will be among the best star parties of the next two years for viewing Mars. Due to some oddities of its orbit relative to the Earth’s, Mars appears much bigger this November and December than it will be even as soon as January. After that, its apparent size will quickly shrink past the point where it again becomes difficult to see any details on its surface for several years. Brower has just the right telescopes to see Mars best, so join us for this rare opportunity.
A British astronomy magazine has posted a superb diagram showing how much larger Mars appears during its current opposition than it does at other times. Scroll down to the third image on the page. To see how such differences can occur, see also Professor Seligman’s excellent general diagram of a planet at opposition.
Google Maps displays Brower Observatory in the town of Pittston, miles from its actual location. Use Apple Maps or Bing Maps instead, both of which get it right.
