Close Encounters of the Red Kind

Mars: Closest Approach 2007

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this close-up of the red planet Mars when it was just 55 million miles – 88 million kilometers – away. This color image was assembled from a series of exposures taken within 36 hours of the Mars closest approach with Hubble's Wide Field and...

Mars: December 2007

In December 2007, the Mars closest approach and opposition will occur within a week of each other. This is an exciting time for astronomers and planetary geologists to image and study our planetary neighbor. On December 18, Mars will be the closest it has been in the last two...

Image: Mars on Dec. 1, 2007; longitude ~50 degrees

Mars observation taken Dec. 1, 07; longitude ~50 degrees

Image: Mars on Dec. 3, 2007; longitude ~225 degrees

Mars observation taken Dec. 3, 07; longitude ~140 degrees

Image: Mars on Dec. 3, 2007; longitude ~320 degrees

Mars observation taken Dec. 3, 07; longitude ~225 degrees

Image: Mars on Dec. 7, 2007; longitude ~140 degrees

Mars observation taken Dec. 7, 07; longitude ~320 degrees

Mars Projection Map

This map spans 360 degrees of Mars' surface, starting at a longitude line of 230 degrees on the left edge. It spans nearly to the north and south polar cap regions in Mars' latitude. This map is a composite of images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary...

Mars Oppositions 1995-2007

Every 26 months Mars is opposite the Sun in our nighttime sky. Since 1995, Mars has been at such an "opposition" with the Sun seven times. A color composite from each of the seven Hubble opposition observations has been assembled in this mosaic to showcase the beauty and...

Relative Positions and Sizes for 1995-2007 Mars Oppositions

This illustration shows the relative positions of Earth and Mars at the last seven Martian oppositions from 1995 through 2007. Opposition occurs when the Sun and Mars are on exact opposite sides of Earth, resulting in a full-phase for Mars, similar to a full moon. The images of...

Ground-based Image of Mars, December 2007

Mars as seen in the night sky on December 8, 2007. Image was taken in southern Alberta, Canada (latitude of 51° N) by astrophotographer Alan Dyer. Mars, located in the constellation Gemini, is rising along the eastern horizon. Above it, portions of the winter Milky Way are...

Rotation Globe of Mars December 2007

This rotation image of Mars was created from four separate images of the planet taken with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. The images were taken in early December 2007, just weeks before its December 18 closest approach.

Mars at Opposition: 1995-2007

Every 26 months Mars is opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. Since the repair of the Hubble telescope in 1993, Mars has been in opposition with the Sun seven times. These dissolve sequences of each Mars opposition from 1995 to 2007 showcases the beauty and splendor that is the...