lorelayinginthesunâ:
Goodness, I wasnât aware. Those do sound really interesting. Will we be able to see them with the naked eye, or would we need a telescope?
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I have a telescope, if you want to use it to get a better look. I donât mind. When I say Blue Moon, you probably think of:
The October 2020 Blue Moon wonât be blue in color. Itâs just the 2nd of 2 full moons in a calendar month ⌠blue in name only. This is more like the moon youâll see on October 31, 2020, if you happen to catch it low in the sky:
A low moon looks reddish or orangish because, at that time, youâre looking at the moon through an extra thickness of Earthâs atmosphere. Helio C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, captured Mars very close to the moon on October 2, 2020. In this photo, Mars is about in the 8 oâclock position. On that night, as seen from Helioâs location, Mars very nearly had a grazing occultation by the moon. Only 4 arcminutes separated Mars from the lunar limb. The moon will appear full to the naked eye, as seen from around the world, on both October 30 and 31, 2020. People will also call this full moon a micro-moon because itâs the most distant (and smallest) full moon in 2020 (252,380 miles or 406,166 km).
Being able to see red Mars nearby is a special treat, because Mars is rarely this bright as seen from Earth. Youâll be able to find it like this, in relation to the moon:
Mars, a little more than half the size of Earth and almost twice the size of our moon, passed through opposition less than two weeks ago. Opposition is when Earth, in a smaller orbit, passes between the Sun and Mars, and Mars, opposite the sun, shines at it brightest. We regularly lap Mars about every two years, but this year opposition was particularly close, making Mars exceptionally bright.
Look for Mars in the evening sky, visible from after dusk through early morning. Its reddish hue, a result of the effects of iron oxide on its surface, give us a distinctive view and earned the red planet its nickname. Even without a telescope, Mars appears noticeably yellow-orange, or red. This month, Mars will even outshine Jupiter.
So the short answer is yes, you can see both with the naked eye.
















