Mars' celestial path through retrograde

Event Date: April 18th
Time: 8:00 PM

Brief

   I have shown Mars' celestial path for past entries, as it was in retrograde.  This evening's image shows a celestial path of the dates just prior to it going stationary, through this evening, as it starts to go prograde again.  The time-range of the path is a little over 2 1/2 months, starting in late January.  It will pick up speed in this direction, west to east against the stars, as we pull further away from it in orbit.  The image shows this zoomed out, with Leo's stick figure included.  The brightest star Regulus is still in binocular range of Mars at 4.3º, although the two will become further apart faster each day.  The constellation boundary of Leo shows at the bottom left, that just before retrograde, Mars had briefly left the Lion for about three weeks, moving against the stars in Virgo (not shown).

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

Detailed

   At the same time of Mars ending retrograde and beginning prograde, it has also dimmed at a slower rate; during the weeks of (near) opposition, it brightened and faded at its fastest.  At magnitude -0.3, it is still brighter than all except three stars seen from any latitude, and almost as bright as Alpha Centauri, which is too far south to see at this latitude.  Canopus and Sirius, with the latter visible to us during the late winter and early spring evenings, are brighter than Mars most of the time, which can vary depending on Mars' proximity to us and the Sun during opposition certain years.  Between now and late winter, we will see Mars east of the Sun, and the rate of brightening will continue to decrease.  Unfortunately well before its conjunction at about that time, Mars will be too far away to see features easily, and just appear as a orangish "blob" in a telescope.  With the eyes alone, we will see very little of no color starting later this season.