Mars has elicited more interest and imagination throughout history than any planet other than our own. It was once thought that Mars had vast canals running across its surface which implied both water and an advanced civilisation. Some imagined the beings to be mostly friendly, such as Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Others envisioned not so friendly neighbours, such as in the War of the Worlds. More recent imaginations have seen a "face" on Mars. Today's science suggests that indeed water did once abound on Mars and that there might indeed have been Martians (albeit microscopic!) What do you think about when you see the red planet? This is a great time to take a look at Mars for yourself and see where your imagination takes you!

 
   Every two years Mars moves into prime viewing position. Over the next few months, Mars will increase ten times in brightness until it outshines even  the brilliant Jupiter (which is visible in the Southwest after dark.) It will be impossible to miss the red planet. When Mars is in this position it is the best time to use binoculars or a telescope to look for features. Most of the time Mars appears as just a ruddy blur unless you have a large telescope. But when Mars is close, it is a great time to look for the features once mistakenly thought to be canals.

     Though Mars is not as bright as it will be in a few months, right now, it is easy to find. There is also something interesting about  just where Mars is that is in the sky. The red planet rises in the Southeast around midnight in the constellation Scorpius. Scorpius the Scorpion (there is no constellation called scorpio) is generally thought of as a summer constellation because in the summer Scorpius is in a good viewing position in the south after dark. This time of year the scorpion rises around midnight and that is where you will find Mars.

     In mythology, Scorpius the scorpion was sent by the gods to punish the arrogant hunter, Orion. Orion had killed many fearsome animals and claimed to be unafraid of any creature. It was some kind of justice therefore when a tiny scorpion bit the mighty hunter. Orion was dying from the scorpion's sting when the gods announced they would see to it that future braggarts would remember this lesson about arrogance. The gods would place both Orion and the Scorpion in the sky. In his dying breaths, Orion begged that he not be placed in the same sky as the scorpion. And so, to prove they had compassion, the gods placed Orion in the winter sky and Scorpion in the summer. At no time can you see both constellations in the same sky!

    If you look at Scorpius you will undoubtedly see Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius. This star is a distinct ruddy colour, very much like Mars. Antares looks so much like Mars in fact, that the two were often confused with each other if they were in close proximity. But for Mars, Antares would probably have a different name. This is because the name Antares is derived from the Greek words meaning "rival of Ares, and Ares is the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Mars. You could say that Mars is the namesake of Antares.

     Right now, Mars and Antares are very close to each other and it's a great time to view the two and compare their ruddy colour. Mars is the slightly brighter of the two and it lies to the upper left of Antares.