"Mars" faces "Chang'e": "Mars and the Moon" will appear in the sky on the 23rd

According to astronomical science experts, Mars will perform a romantic "Mars Conjunction with the Moon" in the early morning of June 23. As long as the weather is fine, interested people in my country will be able to watch the scene of Mars and the waning moon "looking at each other affectionately" with their naked eyes.

"Mars Conjunction with the Moon" refers to the astronomical phenomenon that occurs when Mars and the Moon move to the same ecliptic longitude. At this time, Mars and the Moon can be seen together on Earth.

Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that in Beijing, for example, after 1:00 a.m. on the 23rd, a waning moon and Mars will rise from the east, with Mars not far to the upper left of the waning moon and a brightness of 0.5 magnitude. At around 2:16 a.m., the "Mars-Moon conjunction" will officially begin, with the two being about 1.6 degrees closest, a little longer than the apparent diameter of three full moons. The reddish Mars and the gentle waning moon "stroll" in the night sky, with the stars and the moon shining together, forming a beautiful landscape on the horizon. If there is a suitable landscape, the public who likes astronomical photography can capture this "star-moon fairy tale".

"Mars conjunction with the Moon" is a regular astronomical phenomenon. One of the important reasons why it attracts attention is Mars itself. Mars is a terrestrial planet located in the habitable zone of the solar system and is also the planet that humans pay the most attention to. Due to its large brightness changes, it was called "Yinghuo" in ancient my country.

In fact, Mars is not out of reach. Earthlings have been exploring Mars for more than 50 years. The United States, Russia, India, Japan and other countries have implemented Mars exploration plans. As a rising star in Mars exploration, my country successfully launched the Mars probe "Tianwen-1" in 2020, and officially stepped onto the center stage from a bystander in Mars exploration.

"After my country's first Mars exploration mission, 'Tianwen-1', arrived on Mars in 2021, it successfully completed the orbit, landing and patrol exploration of Mars. The 'Zhurong' Mars rover left a Chinese mark on the distant Mars. At present, the 'Tianwen-1' probe and the 'Zhurong' Mars rover are still in good condition. Next, they will continue to carry out research on Mars as planned and explore the mysteries of Mars for us." Xiu Lipeng said.

Although it is common for Mars and the Moon to be in close proximity, it is not always possible to see them. "The next time Mars and the Moon will be visible is on July 21. Although the observation conditions are not very good, the lunar occultation of Mars can be seen in northeastern China, and it happens at night, which is still very exciting," said Xiu Lipeng.