Mars Opposition

For all you skywatchers, the Sun will reach its opposition to Mars on Saturday. I happened to go outside the other night and noticed it up there in the eastern sky, big and rusty red (the Red Planet really is red). The opposition occuurs in 14 Virgo/Pisces (in the constellations it is at about 20 Leo/Aquarius), and Mars is retrograde. This is a good period to watch the retrograde motion of Mars because it is so easy to find in the sky now.

Mars will rise at about the same time the Sun sets -- it's in opposition, which is the same as a full Moon -- so that a good time to look for it is a couple hours after sunset as it approaches the cusp of the 12th House and is high enough to see easily. To watch the retrograde motion you will want to take note of the position of Mars relative to background stars (mighty Regulus, who sits right on the ecliptic, is not too far west of Mars and is a good marker star) and then every few nights when viewing is good, compare his position.

In astrology, Mars rules rust, and things that are red, and so blood and hot fires and things that produce blood or are made in fires.... Mars rules this sort of thing precisely because it appears very red to us here on Earth. The mind of ancient man was much more comfortable with analogy than we moderns. We have lost something valuable. A modern student of astrology must work hard to develop the set of mind that was commonplace 3000 years ago.

Scientific American made a booboo: "Mars will be in opposition to Earth Saturday, and ...." Mars does not oppose Earth, it opposes Sun. Oh well, so much for carefully researched and written science articles in science magazines.

[Morpheus]

Enjoying the new Cosmos series hosted by Physicist Neil Tyson.

A comment of his which is noteworthy to me was how our home in space is found in the VIRGO Supercluster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_Supercluster




Regarding Virgo also, the Mars opposition event this year, 2014, will occur in respect to VIRGO.

"And this also means that Mars will make its apparent retrograde loop through Virgo, on the months surrounding opposition:"

Mars, in lore and reference of course, is the god of war.
Read more:
http://www.universetoday.com/109010/enter-the-red-planet-a-guide-to-the-upcoming-mars-2014-opposition-season/#ixzz2xfi2lR8g




"The moons of Mars as seen on April 8th at around 9:00 Universal Time.
Created by the author using Starry Night Education software."

[Morpheus]

In the above web page it states, also, that Mars opposition for 2014 occurs on April 8th.

[Morpheus]

Mars will be opposite the Sun, with the Earth in between, in a few days.

While Mars will be in Virgo, the Sun will be in Pisces.

[Morpheus]

"NASA has confirmed that the Tetrad has only happened three times in more than 500 years — and that it's going to happen now."

Next week begins the start of the 'Tetrad,' a series of lunar eclipses.
The four 'blood-red' moons are followed by six full moons.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...proaching.html