This month, early risers will be treated to the return of the Red Planet in our skies. Mars will appear as a blazing orange/red ‘star’ in the constellation Virgo. It currently rises shortly after sunset, but only reaches its highest point in the sky at around 3am. However, as Mars and the Earth continue to change their position along their orbits around the sun, it will start to be visible earlier.

Mars rotates on itself, similar to the Earth and all other objects in the universe, but a Martian day is 37 minutes longer than our 24-hour day.

Through the telescope, from one hour to the next, one will be able to see the surface markings that move across the planet’s face. But it will offer its best views in April, when it will reach the so-called ‘opposition’. This is when it is closest to us and opposite the sun in our sky.

This planet is popularly known as the Red Planet as it contains iron minerals which rust to give the Martian soil surface a reddish appearance.

It is also one of the most explored planets. Over 40 missions to Mars have been launched, starting from 1965 with the Mariner 4 spacecraft.

It is also the planet that has captured the public’s imagination with tales of extra-terrestrial inhabitants.

This month’s photo was shot by expert French planetary photographer Christophe Pellier, from Nantes, France, on March 20. Large dark surface markings are visible, such as the dramatic Syrtis Major, which somewhat resembles the outline of the African continent.

This feature was first seen by astronomer Christian Huygens in the 17th century, and the Hubble space telescope has revealed many dark, circular craters in this area.

Also visible in the photo are the north and south polar ice caps as well as clouds which have formed around the Martian volcano Elysium.

Post your images of the night sky on the Astronomical Society of Malta’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/maltastro.

Alexei Pace is president of the Astronomical Society of Malta.

Astronomical events in April