Opposition of Mars
As available in M icrosoft ® E ncarta ® D ictionary, “opposition” is “ hostile attitude” or “action” : a disapproving attitude toward something and a wish to prevent it, or action taken to show disapproval of and prevent something. This definition of the word “opposition” however translates into a dreaded fear in political circles causing many a heads to roll. But when it comes to planet M ars “opposition” is considered a celestial treat that the scientific community, especially those in astronomy desires to be a part of. In positional astronomy “opposition” means, a superior planet during its orbital journey falls opposite to the sun in a line passing through the planet (inferior) on which the observer is situated. For an E arth bound observer, planets outside E arths orbit namely M ars, J upiter, S aturn, U ranus, and N eptune are termed “superior” planets whereas those orbiting on the inside namely M ercury and V enus are referred to as “inferior” planets. One such “opposition” ...