By Lindsey Anderson
The State News
An orange glow will illuminate the sky today as the only red dot in the galaxy makes an appearance before disappearing for another two years.
One of the most mysterious planets in orbit has made its way closer to Earth for an event astronomers say occurs once in a lifetime. Armed with telescopes, astronomy enthusiasts and those who can only recognize the Big Dipper in the sky are preparing to see Mars, or the Red Planet, up close.
The planet is only visible from Earth every two years, and this time around, its distance from Earth will go down in history books, said Abrams Planetarium director David Batch.
Batch said the allure of Mars is its contrast in brightness and color scheme.
"It has a really interesting orange color to it that makes people think," Batch said. "You have an enormous change in brightness, almost not there, now it's bright, and it makes them think it's interesting.
"This is the closest it's been in recorded history. Because Mars is elliptical, it's closer sometimes than other times."
Orbit distance is why the planet will be easy to see today, because Mars' orbit is more elliptical than most other planets' orbits.
Batch said the hype regariding Mars is ancient.
"Telescope observing became prevalent when observers noticed long, dark markings that looked like lines on the planet," Batch said. "They couldn't come up with any natural explanation, so they came up with the idea that per chance there was some sort of intelligence that created these markings."
The planet that glows orange hasn't been so close to Earth in thousands of years, said Al Whitaker, spokesman for NASA's U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
"It's the first time in 60,000 years that Earth and Mars have passed," Whitaker said. "If you were a star gazer, this is better than Haley's Comet because we won't see this forever."
Even though the Red Planet might be in viewing distance of the human eye, its actual measurement from Earth is quite far, astronomy professor Horace Smith said.
"It's been gradually approaching and getting nearer in the past month," Smith said. "It will reach the closest approach, about 35 million miles away, and then it will gradually recede."
Even though Lansing and East Lansing produce enough light to turn the nighttime clouds a soft pink and orange hue at night, the light pollution will not affect the viewing of Mars, Smith said.
"Mars is extremely bright so the lights won't make any difference," Smith said. "Mars will be the brightest thing in the Southern sky other than the moon."
The days Mars will be the closest to Earth are Wednesday and Thursday, Smith said, but it will appear to be the same size and distance from Earth for the next few weeks.
If Abrams is full of people today or out of walking range, the MSU Observatory also is offering nights to view Mars or the stars. Telescopes are available at the MSU Observatory, and observations will continue throughout the day.
Brian Cerveny, an Owosso resident, built an observatory in his backyard in 2000 to view the galaxy, complete with a telescope, a laptop and an office chair. He said he's been interested in astronomy for 15 years.
"If we get a good night, and I am feeling pretty good, I'll stay up and take a peek," he said. "It's just fun to go out and look at it naked-eye, because it's so pretty."
Dave Seidl, an MSU criminal justice junior, said his interest in planets stems from attending space camp when he was younger.
"I have a friend who's going to take me to look at it," Seidl said. "I'm going to hop around for the ride. It's a cool little planet to look at, and you won't see it for a while."
Sarah McEvilly contributed to this story.
Lindsey Anderson can be reached at ander848@msu.edu.
