mars during dusk around opposition date
At present, Mars gives a stunning evening appearance. Its strong orange glow contrasts brightly with the blue twilight sky. For our eyes, the cerulean blue of the evening sky increases the orange tint of the red planet even further. Where can you see this? All you need is an unobstructed southern horizon. Look south-southeast half an hour after sunset. You need no optical aids, but binoculars will bring out the orange color of Mars even better. This evening appearance of the red planet will be visible all through September. The project nightflight image shows the scenery on August 16, 2018. It was photographed with a DSLR, a 50mm lens and a diffusion filter to render Mars’ orange- red color as naturally as possible. The image was shot from a dark sky location in Austria near the Grossmugl Star Walk. [Released September 2, 2018]