Mars will not be visible _________

Mars will not be visible __________.

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts!

🔍 Key Concepts

• Opposition vs. Conjunction: where are Earth, Mars, and the Sun lined up in each case? • Elongation angle: what does an elongation of 0°, 90°, and 180° mean in terms of planet-Sun separation in the sky? • Visibility condition: a planet is easiest to see when it is far from the Sun in the sky, and hardest (or impossible) to see when it is too close to the Sun from our viewpoint.

💭 Think About

• Sketch simple Sun–Earth–Mars lineups for opposition, conjunction, and quadrature; which configuration puts Mars closest to the Sun’s glare as seen from Earth? • Relate each choice’s term (opposition, conjunction, quadrature, elongation 180°) to whether Mars would be up at midnight or lost in daylight. • Think about when an outer planet like Mars is opposite the Sun in the sky: would it be high in the night sky or hidden by the Sun’s light?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear which term means Mars is on the far side of the Sun from Earth, and which means on the same side but opposite direction in the sky. • Verify what an elongation of 180° represents for an outer planet (compare it to opposition). • Confirm at which configuration a planet’s light is overwhelmed by the Sun so it effectively cannot be seen from Earth.

🔍 Key Concepts

💭 Think About

✅ Before You Answer