LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The planet Mars is prominent in the May skies, and we’ll devote some space to this mysterious red planet.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and next to Mercury, the smallest.
With a diameter of 4,163 miles, Mars is about half the size of our Earth.
It has two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Mars is reddish in color, thanks to the prevalence of iron oxide on its surface.
In ancient times, Mars was known as the Roman God of War.
Interest in Mars peaked in the late 1800s when an Italian astronomer, Schiaperalli, observed polar caps and faint lines on the planet’s surface he called “canali.”
This led to speculation that Mars was populated by intelligent beings who built canals to carry water from the polar caps to the planet’s equatorial region.
To find Mars in the May skies, look to the south – Mars is unmistakable, riding high in the sky with its red glow (refer to the star chart above).
Aside from Mars, the constellation Bootes is prominent in the east.
In Greek mythology, Bootes is a herdsman.
Bootes has the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, Arcturas.
Arcturas is a giant orange star many times the size of our Sun.
John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .