Comet Siding Spring Mars Encounter

Watch over the coming nights as they draw ever closer.

Comet siding spring mars encounter. And by close i mean close. Mars and comet siding spring were visible to the stereo a spacecraft during the 2014 encounter. While comet siding spring also called comet c 2013 a1 isn t easy to spot from earth a couple different astronomy organizations will be tracking the comet as it flies 87 000 miles 139 500. The paths of mars and comet siding spring are clearly on a near collision course.

This sunday october 19 mars will have a close encounter with comet siding spring. In orbit around mars were the spacecraft mars reconnaissance orbiter 2001 mars odyssey esa s mars express maven and the indian mars orbiter mission mangalyaan. 19 at a distance of approximately 87 000 miles. Artist s concept of comet c 2013 a1 siding spring heading toward mars.

This map shows the sky facing southwest at nightfall from. A once in a million years cosmic event will grace the heavens this weekend when a comet is expected to have a close encounter with mars. Nasa s hubble space telescope has produced a unique composite image of comet siding spring as it made its never before seen close passage of a comet by mars. Just weeks before the historic encounter of comet c 2013 a1 siding spring with mars in october 2014 nasa s mars atmosphere and volatile evolution maven spacecraft entered orbit around the red planet.

Siding spring officially designated comet c 2013 a1 made its closest approach to mars at 2 28 p m. Follow comet siding spring at marscomet on october 19 comet siding spring will pass within 88 000 miles of mars just one third of the distance from the e.