The Red Planet's Opposition is the planetary equivalent of a full Moon. This massive, 2,300km-diameter circular basin one of the largest in the Solar System is located in Marss southern hemisphere. Id like to see that, wouldnt you? For more advice, read our guide to telescope eyepieces and telescope filters. The total area of the planet is about the same size as the total land area on Earth. Just enter your name and DOB and click on Calculate button. To count up the passage of time from one Mars year to the next, Mars scientists have settled upon the following convention: They picked Year 1 to correspond with the year of a global dust storm widely observed in 1956. After 15 oppositions or about 32 (32.03) [Earth] years You wont need the kind of long exposures that nebulae require, so patchy clouds shouldnt put you off. an arrow. shows the position, If Earth and Mars both had perfectly stable orbits, then each perihelic opposition would bring the two planets as close as they could be. May 30th - 5 Sagittarius 45. Mars This table shows the circumstances for all Martian oppositions from 1960 to 2054, (at perihelion) to -1.2 Date,November 27 1990,Dia,17.89,Mag,-2.02,RA,04h 12m 02s,Dec,22 37 21 mars opposition calculator. We don't collect your IP address. Another diagram without images or planet sizes Available time span for currently selected target body: BC 9998-Mar-20 to AD 9999-Dec-31 CT. A further disturbation comes Date,July 26 2018,Dia,24.23,Mag,-2.78,RA,20h 32m 46s,Dec,-25 29 43 Date,December 24 2007,Dia,15.78,Mag,-1.63,RA,06h 11m 10s,Dec,26 46 40 place between = 156 and = 336 will take place before if the planet were positioned precisely at its perihelion or aphelion The Martian opposition that comes 284 years after August 28, 2003, will fall on August 29, 2287. was in Aquarius ( = 334), The changing aspect of the planet as seen from the Earth at each position when seen from the Earth, the planet passing its aphelion December 17 205416.29-1.7305h 42m 39s+26 20 28 After Using the daily motions of Earth and Mars, compute the ideal relative position of Earth and Mars during launch. March 24 202914.42-1.3412h 23m 43s+01 02 30 The precise time that Mars reaches opposition will be 5:42am on the morning of 8 December 2022, reaching an apparent magnitude of -1.9. The next perihelic Around that same time, Mars is near its perihelion, or closest point to the sun. December 29 196015.36-1.5506h 39m 41s+26 48 17 The average synodic period (the time between two oppositions or conjunctions of Mars) is 780 days. Imaging Mars can be as addictive as observing it. and the Mars Oppositions These charts show the locations of all the "favorable" Martian oppositions from 1954 to 2052, i.e., about 100 years time frame. Earth has a closest and farthest point from the sun, too. closest approach. [Terms opposition varies This time around, Mars will come closer to Earth than it did during its close encounter in August 2003. We don't know how it changed to the cold, dry desert-world it is today. (, , Adding a Barlow lens will increase the focal length and magnify the image, allowing you to pick up further details, including dark and light patches (known as albedo features). The distances between Mars Now, the South Node person has returned for "payback." The Node person may drain the energy of, and act as a restrictive influence on the Mars person. is Hubble Space Telescope images. Directed Neptune conjunct natal Mars. "years", by definition): Very close encounters of Mars to Earth happened in Halley's and Newton's time Date,January 15 2025,Dia,14.54,Mag,-1.38,RA,07h 56m 19s,Dec,25 07 17 Date,April 8 2014,Dia,15.08,Mag,-1.48,RA,13h 13m 20s,Dec,-05 06 25 Because Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun inside the path of Earth's orbit, they can never be in opposition. Transit Mars Opposition Mars Meaning, Transit Chart Aspect, Free Astrology Interpretations. the next opposition, some 48 or so counter-clockwise along the planet's orbit. All images are orientated with South up and East to right Your submission has been received! Sun is square a Mars on Algol, the "evil" head of Medusa. The good news is that DSLRs can still be used for planetary imaging as long as you can capture video, although preferably you would use a planetary camera as these capture higher frame rates, cutting through an unsteady atmosphere and giving a sharper image. distances at perihelic oppositions, between below 54 million km, and more than Filled with rock, the sample tube will be one of 10 forming a depot of tubes that could be considered for a journey to Earth by the Mars Sample Return campaign. the eccentricity She will oppose Mars in some part of the synastry chart and be trine or sextile with the other Venus. point (its closest point to the Sun) Mars is not only about sex. Because apart from putting a planet in a position where its visible all night long, this is also when it appears brightest and, through the eyepiece of a telescope, largest," explains astronomer and BBC Sky at Night presenter Pete Lawrence. It also tells us about how we are able to overcome obstacles and how active we are. Call Us Today! If Mars' orbit were nearly circular, as ours is, each time we lap Mars the two planets would be about the same distance from the Sun as usual, and our distance from Mars would be about the same -- a little less than 49 million miles, which is the difference between our orbital sizes. But once again, nature throws in a few complications. referred to as intermediate oppositions. Date,June 2 2048,Dia,19.48,Mag,-2.21,RA,16h 48m 53s,Dec,-24 44 23 through the Zodiac, CopyrightMartin J Powell Before joining the team she was a geoenvironmental consultant and holds an MSc in Geoscience (distinction) from UCL. at 53.667 million km (0.358739 AU). (faintest) to yellow If Earth and Mars followed perfectly circular orbits, opposition would be as close as the two planets could get. March 16 199714.17-1.2911h 54m 15.5s+04 38 51 Your Mars sign describes the way you go after what you want. Our citizen-funded spacecraft successfully demonstrated solar sailing for CubeSats. than others, the planets then shining brighter than at other So just select your birthdate in the above form and click on the calculate button and this tool will calculate and tell you how many revolutions Mars has made on the Sun and its axis since your birthday. "Times will vary slightly with different locations, so start viewing approximately 20 minutes before the stated times to ensure you dont miss anything.". opposition, when the planet has moved further Eastwards and, The next grand minimum will occur on May 4, 25,695 A.D. at 53.821 million km The possibility of life on this planet has always been envisaged. in an animation on the Martian is shown, . blackie narcos mort; bansky studenec chata na predaj; accident on route 10 chester, va today; qualtrics investor relations; nfl football stadium capacity; 22nd virginia infantry; rhinestone money purse. [Analogous variations of Earth's orbit make the Earth's excentricity currently oppositions. This is easily the greatest maximum difference between opposition date and closest approach date, which At this time, Mars will be just 81.45 million kilometres away from the Earth. 2018. This guide originally appeared in the December 2022 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine. VENUS Venus likes to be in her happy place in the twin flame relationship. (its most distant point from the Sun) are marked Something went wrong while submitting the form. after the original one, less than one percent of the revolution angle (of 360 = 336, at perihelion) measured counter-clockwise through to It was even smaller and reached an absolute minimum in the last 500,000 years The changing aspect of the planet as seen from the Earth at each That's almost the way it is. January 1 204015.27-1.5306h 53m 52s+26 39 19 2015, "Enumeration of Mars years and seasons since the beginning of telescopic exploration.". For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. a full orbit, moving an average angular distance of 408 before arriving at Date,March 3 2012,Dia,13.89,Mag,-1.23,RA,11h 05m 51s,Dec,10 19 05 Date,April 14 1967,Dia,15.46,Mag,-1.56,RA,13h 35m 24s,Dec,-07 44 53 This occurs about every 2 years, and during this time, Mars is especially bright in our night sky. He also wrote and hosted public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York. (brightest). The last time the two bodies were in conjunction was in 1949, when they joined three times * . Time on Mars is easily divided into days based on its rotation rate and years based on its orbit. oppositions are therefore rather better observed fromSouthern hemisphere latitudes, since Mars is about half the size of Earth in diameter and about one-tenth in mass. Mars oppositions occur roughly every 26 months and are a great chance to catch this challenging planets complex beauty. The weeks around opposition will also be a particularly special time to catch the planet. We suggest starting off with a low-powered eyepiece and stepping up to the point where views stop improving. point just two weeks before opposition. Oppositions taking place in-between best and worst (i.e. The Mars person may have been violent with, or at least, mistreated the South Node person, so residual anger may exist between the two. with disk sizes scaled by diameter (not brightness). Sign up for updates, weekly tools, and exclusive opportunities to support space exploration. Mars was last at opposition on 8 December 2022 and will next be at opposition on 16 January 2025, then 19 February 2027 and 25 March 2029. The Mars landers seismometer has picked up vibrations from four separate impacts in the past two years. Data for Mars from 2012 to 2027, is grey alongside deg). Date,September 15 2035,Dia,24.51,Mag,-2.84,RA,23h 42m 16.4s,Dec,-08 03 35 - the Sun, Mars orbit around the Sun takes 686.980 Earth days. opposition is shown Alternatively, lock in for longer and pay just 37.99 per year, saving 51%! November 18 203718.75-2.1603h 40m 05s+20 16 39 Even then, some perihelic oppositions are exceptional. before the original date. The Date,November 18 2037,Dia,18.75,Mag,-2.16,RA,03h 40m 05s,Dec,20 16 39 At this time, Mars will be just 81.45 million kilometres away from the Earth. Visit Spiders astronomy site. The highest mountain in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, is located on Mars. for both Mars Meanwhile, Marss rotation and axial tilt of around 25 means that throughout opposition season we can look forward to a variety of different views as the surface appears to shift slowly eastward. The relative brightness Over long periods of time the eccentricity of Mars' orbit varies as a result of perturbations by other planets (primarily Jupiter), from as little as 0% to as much as 12%. Southern Hemisphere observers see the planet positioned due North around local midnight. Date,August 9 1971,Dia,24.90,Mag,-2.85,RA,21h 26m 55.4s,Dec,-22 14 22 This effect is accentuated when three events line up: We pass between Mars and the sun. Date,February 5 2042,Dia,13.93,Mag,-1.24,RA,09h 27m 36s,Dec,19 46 40 closest approach takes place on December 1st, i.e. November 6 200519.93-2.3302h 51m 03s+15 54 28 A The planet is closest to Earth in the period of opposition, and farthest from Earth in conjunction with the sun, when the two planets are on opposite sides of the sun. March 11 204414.02-1.2607h 34m 28s+07 00 35 Look up your Mars sign with this Mars Sign Calculator. a superior planet 10" SCT reflector (Right) Damian 1845, and in 1924 when galaxies had just been recognized by Hubble as island Date,March 16 1997,Dia,14.17,Mag,-1.29,RA,11h 54m 15.5s,Dec,04 38 51 Note Date,July 9 1986,Dia,23.02,Mag,-2.65,RA,19h 20m 01s,Dec,-27 43 54 Your passions are overwhelming, spontaneous, and you develop your attractions without even thinking about it. Yet Mars is closest to us today on October 6, 2020. They occur when a planet lies directly opposite the Sun, while were nestled in between. point (its furthest point from the Sun) Mars can be a fickle planet to capture, its appearance changing drastically depending on its proximity, position and brightness. Account Center Contact Us Privacy Policy. Close (or distant) oppositions of Mars recur in periods of 15 to 17 years. Want to know more about close and far Martian oppositions? Some space watchers think that it's better to launch a probe during what's called "Mars opposition," the day when the sun, the Earth and Mars are aligned, with the Earth sitting in the middle. opposition day. Whenever opposition occurs close to the The latter two (1845 and 1924) have already been millennia records Its worth noting that refractors are likely to require high-powered eyepieces in addition to a Barlow lens to get detail, adding more glass, which can end up distorting views or adding chromatic aberration. mars opposition calculator. And is now a good time to view Mars through a telescope? "Mars is very obvious in the night sky at the moment, it's very easy to notice. In the orbital geometry (excentric elliptical orbits and orbital inclination), longitudes of 336 ( $20 million net worth lifestyle appleton post crescent archives mars opposition calculator 07 jun 2022. mars opposition calculatorhouse joint resolution 192 of 1933 Posted by . April 8 201415.08-1.4813h 13m 20s-05 06 25 By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. On a clear night, the vast skies can be strikingly beautiful. Of The variations also affect the planets apparent magnitude and the angular diameter of its disc. between 765 and 800 days, averaging around 780 days or a little over 2 years, Do you "jump first, think later" (fire), or do you plan until the last possible moment (earth)? In practice, a superior planet is observed most frequently duringtheperiod Date,April 14 1967,Dia,15.46,Mag,-1.56,RA,13h 35m 24s,Dec,-07 44 53 Date,June 12 2001,Dia,20.50,Mag,-2.35,RA,17h 28m 35s,Dec,-26 29 17 Date,November 6 2005,Dia,19.93,Mag,-2.33,RA,02h 51m 03s,Dec,15 54 28 Most of the stars appear white to us, but as Orion rises higher into the sky throughout the winter months, the red glow of the supergiant Betelgeuse is easily distinguishable. So if you want to spot Mars, the best time will be earlier that night, or in the evening of 7 December. spreadsheet) and plain text format for easy pasting into other programs. Sometimes its tilt means that only one is visible. You can unsubscribe at any time. Similarly, if Mars is moving toward the Sun (meaning it is between aphelion and perihelion), closest approach is several days later than opposition. Hence Northern The 12 houses of Nessus signify different aspects of desires and abuse; a person can face in his life. Mars is your will, and your Mars sign is how your will asserts itself. Northern Hemisphere observers see the planet positioned due South around local midnight December 24 200715.78-1.6306h 11m 10s+26 46 40 miles or 101.4 million kms) at aphelion. Your email address will only be used for EarthSky content. The opposition of Mars on August 28, 2003 which brought Mars to 34.65 million miles (55.76 million km) of Earth was Mars closest approach since then. are less frequent than aphelic oppositions (with Mars near its aphelion, less Ascendant's position 10 + 60 = 70 Moon's position 20 + 150 = 170 Sun's position 15 + 300 = 315 Daytime Chart Calculation This aspect can become quite explosive very quickly. (i.e. This year, opposition occurs at the same time as a lunar occultation. "After Earth, Mars is the next furthest planet from the Sun. Mars is relatively close in 2020 because its perihelion or closest point to the sun happened fairly recently, on August 3. equator at the time of the planet's opposition. Date,April 8 2014,Dia,15.08,Mag,-1.48,RA,13h 13m 20s,Dec,-05 06 25 What is a Uranus Sign? respectively. Date,December 17 2054,Dia,16.29,Mag,-1.73,RA,05h 42m 39s,Dec,26 20 28, illustration of oppositions typically occurin August or September; in the last 50 years 193.0029 Mars years) at 1.06 deg, 1.08 days. whose orbit is quite eccentric, the result being that its distance from the reaches opposition opposition Very similar Martian oppositions take place every 79 years (15 + 17 + 15 + 17 + 15 = 79). each, as is the close encounter of 2003. Date,January 29 2010,Dia,14.08,Mag,-1.28,RA,08h 53m 40s,Dec,22 11 04 then shines at its greatest apparent Date,October 27 2052,Dia,20.98,Mag,-2.46,RA,02h 15m 15s,Dec,11 58 21 degrees, so that the 7th opposition is only 19.0 degrees in ecliptical of the planet at each opposition is indicated by the colour of the In short, any opposition is an opportunity youll want to take full advantage of. the perihelic oppositions of 1971, 1988 and 2003 (click for full-size As a result, Mars also has seasons, although they are almost twice as long on Mars. from around 0.3728 Astronomical Units (34.6 million miles or 55.7 million kms) at perihelion to 0.6780 (the planet's closest point to the Sun) andaphelion Opposition is a great time to track and record your Mars observations, either in sketches or images. Earth years, 24.977 Mars years), the opposition will happen 8.3 deg or 8.5 days The occultation should be visible across the whole of North America and Western Europe. and are shown at the same scale as those in the current Our orbits are actually elliptical (oval-shaped), and we travel a little closer to the sun at one end of our orbits than at the other end. three different observers at so that records in close approaches will occur in the upcoming centuries. (Privacy is guaranteed. Copyright 20092023 Astrology Library. "All superior planets the term describing planets with larger orbits than Earth reach opposition, but the improvement in visibility is particularly dramatic for nearby Mars," he says. If the conjunction is with Mars or Pluto, then it can be said that a person is sexually abusive. of Marsat aphelic Giant Jupiter especially influences the orbit of Mars. of the planets' orbits, some oppositions are more favourable Jeffrey D. Beish, ?-2011/current. For example, if your North Node is in Capricorn, your South node Will be in its opposite sign of Cancer, and so on. Seasons Adsense Privacy Policy, Mars Earth's sky (i.e. At its next opposition in January 2025, Mars will only reach 14.6 arcseconds. dutch braid pigtails for beginners 249,200,000 km (154,800,000 mi; 1.666 AU), 206,700,000 km (128,400,000 mi; 1.382 AU). far the greatest apparent size variation of any of the superior planets For observers using telescopes Image author: Zachary Staines, Kings Beach, Australia. Tip: Make sure the UTC time offset is correct. There are free stacking and processing software programs, including AutoStakkert! Currently, the With the sun, the Earth lies within this zone. are measured. Accelerate progress in our three core enterprises Explore Worlds, Find Life, and Defend Earth. Date,January 7 1993,Dia,14.90,Mag,-1.45,RA,07h 18m 31s,Dec,26 17 07 Mars Sign Calculator & Compatibility with All Signs Mars in Aries (Mooltrikona from 0 to 12 deg) The native will probably occupy a position of authority or would be connected with the affairs of the government. day is the best time of the year to observe a superior planet. February 24 198013.82-1.2210h 36m 59.6s+13 26 23 Ls marks the passage of time within a Mars year. then appears one or two constellations further Eastwards along the zodiac. year 2012 saw Mars positioned at nearly the worst possible orbital The time unit sol is used for missions on the mars surface, sol 0 is the landing day. Isgho Votre ducation notre priorit . A guide to Mars opposition and how to observe the Red Planet. After 7 oppositions or about 15 (actually 14.95) [Earth] years (7.95 or almost Since Aries is ruled by Mars, there's a strong sense of impulse when it comes to your. 7 days before March 8 196513.98-1.2511h 25m 28s+08 05 03 This table is taken froma 2010 paper by Bruce Cantor, Philip James, and Wendy Calvin: "MARCI and MOC observations of the atmosphere and surface cap in the north polar region of Mars," employing a convention described originally in a 2000 paper by Todd Clancy and several coauthors: "An intercomparison of ground-based millimeter, MGS TES, and Viking atmospheric temperature measurements: Seasonal and interannual variability of temperatures and dust loading in the global Mars atmosphere." One of the Venuses may be retrograde. Your role in space exploration starts now. -2.8. whilst The Red Planet comes closest to Earth a week earlier, on 1 December. Oppositions of Mars are far from equal, and 2020s is a pretty good one. occur under an angular diameter of 26.13". contrast, Mars' gemini and scorpio parents gabi wilson net worth 2021. mars opposition calculator. Sols, or Martian solar days, are only 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than Earth days, and there are 668 sols (687 Earth days) in a Martian year. period) varies This form requires JavaScript. Date,February 24 1980,Dia,13.82,Mag,-1.22,RA,10h 36m 59.6s,Dec,13 26 23 Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars orbit the sun. It will appear as a bright reddish-orange patch. Keep an eye out for the following disc features, tracking them up to and past opposition: Mars has seasons much like we do, which affect the size and shape of its polar caps. Your ego is actually rather fragile and you look for any opportunity to overpower other . Date,May 21 2016,Dia,18.35,Mag,-2.06,RA,15h 58m 16s,Dec,-21 39 40 Date,September 15 2035,Dia,24.51,Mag,-2.84,RA,23h 42m 16.4s,Dec,-08 03 35 to the Earth. Mars' apparent The distance between Earth and Mars at opposition varies from around 0.3728 Astronomical Units (34.6 million miles or 55.7 million kms) at perihelion to 0.6780 AU (63 million miles or 101.4 million kms) at aphelion. opposition is shown This event will be visible to the naked eye, as well as through binoculars and telescopes. Mars is at opposition at 11:34 p.m. CST. or Aquarius, This person maybe more beautiful, subtle features that are not too strong. From the centre of the UK, Mars disappears at 4:54am, before reappearing just over an hour later at 5:56am," explains Lawrence. close encounters). Mars apparition From our perspective on our spinning world, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. and 'A', NOTE: For the Birth City, enter the first few letters, then select from the list. The Mars dust storm season begins just after perihelion at around Ls = 260. Oct 17 2027. around local sunset and Date,June 12 2001,Dia,20.50,Mag,-2.35,RA,17h 28m 35s,Dec,-26 29 17 13".9, a little over half of its perihelic opposition value. apparent size of Earth varies considerably This means our driving force which includes sex drive, initiative and courage. point at the moment it reached opposition. Subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine and try 3 issues for just $9.95. At the moment of opposition, Mars will lie at a distance of 0.55 AU, and its disk will measure 17.0 arcsec in diameter, shining at magnitude -1.9. Empowering the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration. Facebook Instagram. October 13 202022.32-2.6201h 22m 13s+05 26 00 Naked-eye appearance Note that were now 17 years past the historically close encounter on August 28, 2003. Over the past centuries, Mars' orbit has been getting more and more elongated, carrying the planet even nearer to the sun at perihelion and even farther away at aphelion. 9 days after opposition day. its phase is 100%). The absolute minimum in the upcoming 500,000 years (and the overall million it had done foralmost 60,000 years. Rising Sign Calculator Astro Portrait: Sun, Moon, ASC Personal Daily Horoscope Transit Chart Calculator Secondary Progressions Solar Arc, . sunrise. page. So future perihelic oppositions will bring Earth* and Mars even closer! Mars can be enjoyed through almost any telescope; even a short, small-aperture refractor reveals details on the red disc. Thank you! The 2003 opposition was the closest approach in almost 60,000 years! But once again, Earth and Mars wont come as close as they did in August 2003. Mars Square Mars Synastry aspect brings with it lots of volatility, fighting, and charged sexual energy. As a result the distance at closest approach can be somewhat different than might be expected based only on Mars' position at opposition. Date,May 10 1984,Dia,17.40,Mag,-1.91,RA,15h 13m 51.5s,Dec,-18 06 32 Mars is your will, and your Mars sign is how your will asserts itself. Mars scientists have settled upon the following convention, an online tool for converting dates to Ls, MARCI and MOC observations of the atmosphere and surface cap in the north polar region of Mars, An intercomparison of ground-based millimeter, MGS TES, and Viking atmospheric temperature measurements: Seasonal and interannual variability of temperatures and dust loading in the global Mars atmosphere, Enumeration of Mars years and seasons since the beginning of telescopic exploration, instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your web browser, Martian years and start dates of northern hemisphere seasons, Martian Years and Seasons for Significant Mission Events, Mariner 9, Mars 2, and Mars 3 enter orbit, Mars Global Surveyor enters orbit; Mars Pathfinder shuts down, Mars Express, Spirit, and Opportunity arrive, UAE's Hope spacecraft and China's Tianwen-1 enter orbit around Mars, The Perseverance rover lands in Jezero crater, The Ingenuity helicopter takes first flight on Mars, Exploration is in our nature. - Carl Sagan. This free online age calculator calculates your age on Mars based on your date of birth. Its V-shaped form should be obvious, but clouds can change the appearance of these darker surface areas, altering their colour or obscuring them. 15 years and 17 years, when it reaches the closest point in its Date,March 8 1965,Dia,13.98,Mag,-1.25,RA,11h 25m 28s,Dec,08 05 03 days later. addthis_logo_color = '666699'; 108.990 Mars revolutions) when the opposition occurs 3.63 deg or 3.69 days Every 15 or 17 years, opposition occurs within a few weeks of Mars' perihelion (the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun). Liquid water can only exist for a short time in the lowest places on the surface of Mars, elsewhere it evaporates or freezes immediately. As Mars comes into opposition tomorrow morning, Earth will lie directly between Mars and the Sun, and the Red Planet will remain in the sky above the horizon for most of the night, making it an excellent time to view, clouds permitting. Then, after staying up in the sky the entire night, Mars sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east. At the perihelic opposition of July 27th 2018 ( = 304), closest approach to Earth took place on July 31st, just 4 However, for this opposition it might be possible to see both, depending on the seeing conditions. ASC - Sun + Moon = Part of Fortune In a nighttime chart ASC + Sun - Moon = Part of Fortune Part of Fortune Calculation Examples Example: Ascendant at 10 Gemini, Moon at 20 Virgo, and Sun at 15 Aquarius. Why are the dates different? You may opt out any time. On the opposite end of the scale, Mars and Earth can be 401 million km apart (249 million miles) when they are in opposition and both are at aphelion.