Mars bright, and in retrograde

                             
Event Date: March 21st
Time: 7:30 PM

Brief

   The planet Mars, often referred to as the "red" planet with its distinguishable color from the others, is still close enough to Earth in orbit for us to notice this color with the eye alone.  Using optical aid makes Mars easier to see, although it is best to wait until the planet is high enough above the horizon.  Atmospheric pollution and any lingering haze, take away from Mars' natural appearance.  When first viewing the planet after Sunset, it is more than 25º in altitude above the horizon; it is high enough that its color should be noticeable with little interference.  With Mars' surface being covered with rust, less commonly known to some people as iron-oxide, we may see slight variances in the color, based on the varying depths of rust.  Find out more with this reading:
http://www.universetoday.com/22580/why-is-mars-red/

Detailed

   As shown in the image, I have plotted a six-month celestial path of Mars, as we have approached it in our orbit.  A celestial path shows a planet's position relative to the background stars.  For this one, it is incremented in 10-day periods with circular markers.  As we caught up with Mars in orbit, it was similar to riding a train and passing a slower one on parallel tracks.  Just as that train would appear to move backwards, Mars' further distance from the Sun, hence longer orbital period, makes it appear to move backwards against the stars: east to west instead of direct (prograde) motion, which is movement west to east.  This backwards display is called retrograde motion, and it is sometimes mentioned also in weather reports: when tracking storm patterns, clouds can be seen on satellite images moving in such a manner.
  Getting back to astronomy, the path acts as a visual, and where the change of direction is shown, that is where Mars appeared stationary to us for a short time. 
Why is it called stationary?  If we were to view it in a telescope, the visible stars around it would appear to be the same separation for several hours during the night.  As the markers indicate also, Mars started to apparently move faster in retrograde, with the fastest being very close to where we passed it in our orbit.  It is on this evening, that Mars rose about the time that the Sun set, being opposite the Sun in the sky.  Therefore, this is called opposition, with an elongation of 180º with the Sun.  Since then, the now-obstuse elongation angle between the two has started to shrink, and the rate of retrograde will further slow down for the next few weeks.  It began in late January of this year, and ends in mid-April for a duration of a little over 2 1/2 months. 
   I will talk about retrograde periods for the outer planets as well when they happen, which--partly because they are further away--are longer than Mars'.  For now, following this text is the view that we have of Mars during civil twilight with the path included.  Search the east-southeastern sky with binoculars or a telescope if you don't see it right away.  Within most binocular fields, Regulus, the brightest star as seen from Earth is within the constellation of Leo, the Lion, is less than 8º away.  Between now and when we next see Mars as stationary, it will seemingly creep up on Regulus, putting the two within common binocular viewing fields.  The 'stick' figure for Leo, being one of the most recognizable among our constellations, shows, with what many think of as a backwards question-mark shape (?) representing his mane.  This is called the Sickle of Leo, and is an asterism: a recognizable part of a constellation.
   What other asterisms are you familiar with?  There is a very recognizable one in the northeast that I will talk about tomorrow!

*click on image to enlarge: courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus, version 6.4.3, by Simulation Curriculum Corp.