Twenty-five years ago, on July 20, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 lander soft-landed on the surface of Mars, becoming the first successful mission to land on the red planet, as well as the first successful American landing on another planet. With a second lander later joining the first on the surface and with two orbiters circling the planet, the Viking project changed our understanding of that alien world. Its treasure trove of images and data covering the entire Martian globe remains a valuable scientific resource for the study of Mars.
July 16th, 2001
Now showing: The Red Planet News & Record
It could be called the planet formally known as red. In the night sky, Mars appears as more of a creamy, butterscotch hue than the blood-spattered, Roman god of war whose name it bears. Nevertheless, Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is beautiful. People everywhere can catch a stunning glimpse of the neighboring planet with the naked eye this summer.
July 5th, 2001
Hubble Views Mars at its Closest to Earth
The powerful Hubble Space Telescope has snapped the best images of Mars ever taken from Earth. Sharp-eyed optics on the orbiting facility resolved features on the red planet as small as 10 miles (15 kilometers) across. A little help from Mars itself made taking the up-close pictures possible. Last month, Mars and Earth were at the closest points in their respective orbits. Distance between the two worlds was 43 million miles (68 million kilometers). That
July 2nd, 2001
Mars advances to the front in this month’s night skies
If a Martian wants to wave hello, this is the time. The red planet is closer to Earth during July than it has been since 1988, hanging like a ripe cherry in the southeastern sky at dusk. Look for Mars early and often, however, for the planet already has slipped behind Earth in the race around the sun and we are pulling farther ahead day by day. By the end of July, Mars will appear noticeably smaller.
June 22nd, 2001
Surfing Into Saturday: Sites for sighting Mars
With Mars in its best position to view in years, budding astronomers will want to take note of these sites to help explore the red planet and the infinite universe beyond.
June 22nd, 2001
Touching the Universe
What does a star feel like? Since nearly all astronomical knowledge is based on light
June 21st, 2001
A Close Encounter with Mars
Today Earth and Mars will be closer together than at any time during the last 12 years. Stargazers won’t want to miss the Red Planet blazing bright in the midnight sky. Check most any astronomer’s 2001 calendar and you’ll find June 21st circled. It’s a big day for astronomy! For starters, June 21st marks the beginning of northern summer and the longest day of the year north of the equator. The Sun will climb to its highest point in the sky at 7:38 UT (3:38 EDT), a moment known as the summer solstice.
June 21st, 2001
A Grand Return of Mars Sky & Telescope
Not often do we Earthbound observers get a good look at Mars. It’s a small planet to begin with, and it spends most of its time far away. Usually it’s just a tiny, fuzzy orange blob in the eyepiece. The only time we get a good look at its surface markings, clouds, dust storms, and changing polar caps is during the months around its oppositions, which come a little more than two years apart. And not all Mars oppositions are created equal. The best ones come in bunches of two or three that repeat in a cycle 16 years long.
June 21st, 2001
Mars set for bright climb up island summer skies Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Islanders will have a spectacular view of the Red Planet this summer in the night sky in the east, says Mike Shanahan, Bishop Museum Planetarium manager. “It’s not as bright as Venus, but it is still way bright for Mars,” he said. Mars — called “Hoku’ulua” in Hawaiian for “red star” — is coming closer to Earth. It is the brightest the planet has been since 1988 and, further into the summer, it will move higher in the western sky at sunset, Shanahan said.
June 17th, 2001
A Martian mission for desi Earthlings The Times of India
Attention Martians, the Earthlings have landed! Well, almost. But that’s not all, here’s some news which will make the other kids on the Indian block turn green with envy. Billed as `Red Rover Goes To Mars’, the project forms part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars Surveyor 2002 mission and offers an opportunity to students from across the globe to participate in this exploratory mission.