[net.astro] StarDate: September 15 The Night Sky from Mars

abc@brl-tgr.ARPA (Brint Cooper ) (09/15/84)

Does anyone know of radio stations in Baltimore or Washington that carry
the "Stardate " programs?

Brint
<abc@brl.arpa>

faunt@saturn.UUCP (Doug Faunt) (09/18/84)

In fact, I suspect that a lot of people would like to know
where and when this can be heard.  Could the current list
of stations broadcasting this, with times, if available,
be posted?
		....!hplabs!faunt

dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (09/22/84)

The view of the night-time sky would appear very familiar -- and very
different -- if you stood on Mars.  We'll tell you about the night sky
from Mars -- -- in a moment.

September 15  The Night Sky from Mars

How would the night sky look from the surface of the planet Mars?

Well, the Martian sky has all the same familiar stars we see on Earth.
The stars are so far away that the short hop to Mars would make no
perceptible difference in the visible stars.  What's more, because Mars
rotates on its axis in a way similar to Earth -- the Martian star
background would appear to rise in the east and move toward the west --
just as we see from Earth.  This movement would be a bit slower than
we're used to, though -- since the Martian day is about 40 minutes
longer than ours.

Mars also takes longer to go around the sun -- about twice as long as
Earth does.  So the Martian seasons are twice as long -- and the same
stars are visible for a longer period of time -- before each starry
scene passes from view into the sun's glare.

As for the other planets, they'd seem a little different from Mars.
For example, Venus -- OUR brightest planet -- would appear fainter from
Mars -- while Jupiter -- the planet next outward -- would appear much
brighter.  And there'd be a splendid celestial object never seen in
Earth's sky -- a double pinpoint -- one dull white, and the other
brighter and tinged with blue.  That would be, of course, the planet
Earth and its moon -- as seen from the planet Mars.


Script by Diana Hadley and Deborah Byrd.

(c) Copyright 1983, 1984 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin