Can You See Mars With A Telescope?

Yes! You can see Mars with a telescope. Viewing the planet is something you should try if you own a telescope or have access to one. Furthermore, it is possible to see Mars with the naked eye. Read on if you wish to discover some awsome information about Mars and viewing the planet.

This is especially true if it is the time of year when Mars is close. Mars is at opposition at its closest and is an amazing sight. It is called opposition because it is on the opposite side of the sky as is the Sun.

Can You See Mars With A Telescope

While it is a little less interesting when further away, it will still be worth looking out for.

Mars can appear to be further or closer to us because of how the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun.

Mars can be seen as one of our neighbors, but the distance between the two planets can vary massively over approximately two years.

The two planets are around 35 million miles (56 million km) apart when they are at their closest. However, they can also be on opposite sides of the Sun. At this time, they are 250 million miles (401 million km) apart. However, Mars cannot be observed when it near or behind the Sun.

Because of the varying distance, the timing of the two planet’s orbits will drastically impact how good your view of Mars will be. This means that you should try to observe Mars when it is closest. You should be patient when it is far away.

Multiple online guides and calendars are available for when Mars will be visible and when the best view of it will be. The dates when Mars is closest to Earth (i.e. at opposition) can be found on What is Planet Retrograde Motion?. The link also details a peculiar motion in Mars’ motion in the night sky. For convenience, here are the upcoming opposition dates:

Mars Opposition dates:
February 19, 2027
March 25, 2029

How to Find Mars with the Naked Eye

Mars’s location at any given time depends on geographical location. As such, try to ensure that you are getting accurate information! A good idea is to use Planetarium software. A good option is Stellarium. This free software will help you find Mars, and a screen capture from the software showing Mars is below. Other than installing the software on your computer there is a web version of the planetarium.

Mars shown in Stellarium planetarium

The rest of this article will detail locating Mars with your telescope.  Please keep reading for related information!

An interesting fact is that Mars once had an atmosphere. Due to changes in the planet’s interior the radiation from the Sun removed it. You can read about this in our article How Is The Sunspot Cycle Directly Relevant To Us Here On Earth?

Mars is the most distance inner planet from the Sun. To learn the differences between the inner and outer planets see What Separates The Inner And Outer Planets?

How To Find Mars With A Telescope

Of course, the first step when looking for Mars with a telescope is to make sure Mars is visible where you are. Use the software mentioned in the last section to determine if it is visible.

The Martian disc may have a varying appearance due to varying size and/or brightness. Once you know Mars should be visible, here is some information to help you.

Without A Telescope?

If you are looking for Mars without a telescope, there are certain things you should look out for.

The online guides which tell you what time of year Mars will be visible in your region, should also be able to tell you what part of the sky you should be looking at.

The name the ‘red planet’ is not unearned. Mars’ color makes it much easier to locate. Even without a telescope you should be able to notice the distinct red hue of the planet. It should stand out when compared to the stars surrounding it!

Small Telescope?

When looking for Mars with a smaller telescope, you will want to ensure you have fully prepared your telescope. For example, ensure that the finder scope is properly aligned. Also, use the eyepiece that will give you the lowest magnification.

You will then want to aim your finder scope at the red object you noticed with your naked eye. It takes a bit of practice using a finder scope. The trick is to have both eyes open. This will help you place the object in the finder scope. With Mars centered in the finder scope it should be visible when viewing through the eyepiece.

You will see that the stars surrounding it will still look like a smaller pinprick of light. Stars are point sources of light and you will never see a disc. However, Mars will have a distinct disc, and depending on the time of year, you will get either a small view or a much larger detailed one.

If Mars is bright in your eyepiece, you can use higher magnification levels to see as many details as possible when looking at the surface. Be wary that there is a limit on how much magnification any telescope can provide.

However, this may only be properly possible at certain times of the year when it is close enough.

Using A Filter To Improve Your View

Can You See Mars With A Telescope? (1)

One of the best ways to get more detail when observing the surface of Mars is using a telescope filter. This will enhance the surface’s contrast and highlight features you would normally overlook otherwise.

Different filters will work best for different planets. Also, different filters will highlight different features. As a result, you need to find the best one possible for your telescope to work with Mars.

These filters will remove unwanted light, leaving useful colors. This will provide a better view.

Because you limit the number of colors reaching your eyes your brain will have an easier time interpreting what it sees. This will let you notice more detailed features on the surface of Mars.

You can actually find a variety of different filters online, but some specific ones are our favorites.

You can use #21 Orange to enhance the appearance of the darker areas against the brighter orange background.

Whereas #23A Light Red highlights the planes of Mars instead. It will also highlight any dust storms or polar ice caps.  This would have to be it if you are limited to just one choice.

There is also #56 Light Green, which is great for looking at dust storms and ice caps.

Finally, we feel like we should mention #82A Light Blue which is great at darkening the color of the rust-colored Mars which makes it a lot easier to view polar caps if this is your goal specifically.

What To Look Out For

Some of the best things to look out for when looking at Mars are dust storms, ice caps, or any noticeable surface features. Be wary that dust storms can totally obscure Mars’ surface. If you don’t see any surface details, this may be why. Dust storms are more common when the planet is closest to the Sun.

Mars undergoes apparent retrograde motion. For details of what this is and how and when to observe it you can view our page What is Planet Retrograde Motion?

Summary

Hopefully, this guide has given you all the information you need to observe Mars with a telescope. Ensure you use accurate information to know when and where Mars will be visible.

One of the easiest mistakes to make is using inaccurate information for your location. Avoid this mistake, as it can be incredibly frustrating to spend hours setting up and looking for something that is not actually there.

Jason Anderson
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