1
00:00:00,220 --> 00:00:03,039
[Music]

2
00:00:11,150 --> 00:00:06,860
what's up for July Mars is closest to

3
00:00:13,009 --> 00:00:11,160
Earth since 2003 hello and welcome I'm

4
00:00:14,570 --> 00:00:13,019
Jane Houston Jones from NASA's Jet

5
00:00:18,170 --> 00:00:14,580
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena

6
00:00:20,390 --> 00:00:18,180
California if you've been sky watching

7
00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:20,400
for 15 years or more then you'll

8
00:00:25,250 --> 00:00:23,130
remember August 2003 when Mars

9
00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:25,260
approached closer to Earth than it had

10
00:00:31,009 --> 00:00:28,410
for thousands of years it was a very

11
00:00:32,930 --> 00:00:31,019
small percentage closer but not so much

12
00:00:35,959 --> 00:00:32,940
that it was as big as the moon as some

13
00:00:38,389 --> 00:00:35,969
claimed Mars was an awesome sight to the

14
00:00:40,069 --> 00:00:38,399
unaided eye in binoculars where some

15
00:00:43,729 --> 00:00:40,079
large features could be seen and

16
00:00:45,770 --> 00:00:43,739
especially through telescopes astronomy

17
00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:45,780
clubs everywhere had long lines of

18
00:00:49,369 --> 00:00:47,250
people looking through their telescopes

19
00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:49,379
at the Red Planet and they will again

20
00:00:54,410 --> 00:00:51,930
this month if you're new to stargazing

21
00:00:57,380 --> 00:00:54,420
this month and next will be a great time

22
00:00:59,090 --> 00:00:57,390
to check out Mars through a telescope

23
00:01:00,799 --> 00:00:59,100
you should be able to make out some of

24
00:01:04,369 --> 00:01:00,809
the light and dark features and

25
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:04,379
sometimes polar ice right now though a

26
00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:06,570
huge Martian dust storm is obscuring

27
00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:09,270
many features and less planetary detail

28
00:01:15,830 --> 00:01:13,290
is visible July 27th is Mars opposition

29
00:01:18,770 --> 00:01:15,840
when Mars Earth and the Sun all line up

30
00:01:21,859 --> 00:01:18,780
with Earth directly in the middle a few

31
00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:21,869
days later on July 31st is Mars closest

32
00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:24,450
approach that's when Mars and Earth are

33
00:01:28,670 --> 00:01:26,250
nearest to each other in their orbits

34
00:01:30,890 --> 00:01:28,680
around the Sun although there will be a

35
00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:30,900
lot of news focusing on one of the other

36
00:01:36,590 --> 00:01:33,450
of these two dates Mars will be visible

37
00:01:39,380 --> 00:01:36,600
for many months by the end of July Mars

38
00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:39,390
will be visible at sunset but the best

39
00:01:43,940 --> 00:01:41,250
time to view it will be several hours

40
00:01:45,050 --> 00:01:43,950
after sunset when Mars will appear

41
00:01:47,749 --> 00:01:45,060
higher in the sky

42
00:01:50,060 --> 00:01:47,759
Mars will still be visible after July

43
00:01:52,700 --> 00:01:50,070
and August but each month it will shrink

44
00:01:54,620 --> 00:01:52,710
in apparent size as it travels farther

45
00:01:59,179 --> 00:01:54,630
from Earth in its orbit around the Sun

46
00:02:02,120 --> 00:01:59,189
on July 27th a total lunar eclipse will

47
00:02:05,270 --> 00:02:02,130
be visible in Australia Asia Africa

48
00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:05,280
Europe and South America for those

49
00:02:09,889 --> 00:02:07,290
viewers Mars will be right next to the

50
00:02:13,420 --> 00:02:09,899
eclipsing moon next month will feature

51
00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:13,430
August summer Perseids it's not too soon

52
00:02:18,759 --> 00:02:15,890
a dark sky getaway for the most popular

53
00:02:21,580 --> 00:02:18,769
meteor shower of the year you can catch

54
00:02:26,470 --> 00:02:21,590
up on NASA's missions to Mars and all of

55
00:02:26,979 --> 00:02:26,480
NASA's missions at WWF that's all for

56
00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:26,989
this month