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Curiosity Sees 'Evening Star' Earth


Waspie_Dwarf

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NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Sees 'Evening Star' Earth

New images from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover show Earth shining brighter than any star in the Martian night sky.

The rover's view of its original home planet even includes our moon, just below Earth.

The images, taken about 80 minutes after sunset during the rover's 529th Martian day (Jan. 31, 2014) are available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA17936 for a broad scene of the evening sky, and at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA17935 for a zoomed-in view of Earth and the moon..

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"With intellects vast, and cool, and unsympathetic... they regarded our world with envious eyes." - H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds.

Sorry Waspie, I couldn't resist. Though I must admit, there is no site so humbling than seeing a little speck on its journey through the cosmos. Our speck.

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Sorry Waspie, I couldn't resist.

There is never any need to apologise for quoting Herbert George.

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I found the observed distance from the Earth to the Moon to be interesting, I don't know why but I thought it would appear much closer. Also you can see the grayish look to the Moon and a slightly blue tint to the Earth, assuming that was not enhanced color like many space photos. They should aim the camera at Jupiter if they are both currently on the same side of the sun, I would be curious how large it appears in the Martian sky when compared with how it appears on Earth.

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Grr.

If I'd known photos were being taken I'd have cleaned those windows of mine and out up decent curtains.

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Hey Waspie,

I don't want to nit-pick but the main page of UM (not the forum) says, "The rover has taken a picture to show what Earth looks like from more than 100 million miles away." That's way over an AU, which can't be right. It must be in kilometres.

I don't know who to contact to correct this. You could probably fix this quicker.

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Hey Waspie,

I don't want to nit-pick but the main page of UM (not the forum) says, "The rover has taken a picture to show what Earth looks like from more than 100 million miles away." That's way over an AU, which can't be right. It must be in kilometres.

I don't know who to contact to correct this. You could probably fix this quicker.

I checked a couple different articles and they all say just less then 100 million miles. You have to remember that Mars and the Earth are not locked to each other, so one can be on the other side of the Sun or on the same side as the Sun. I think 100 million miles means that we're at about a 45 degree angle from Mars in the solar plane (With the Sun as the axis). Probably a astronomy buff could answer exactly.

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and at http://photojournal....atalog/PIA17935 for a zoomed-in view of Earth and the moon..

The Moon is so bright, probably if there had been intellegent beings on Mars, they'd have thought that we live in a binary planetary system, with two worlds orbiting each other.

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I checked a couple different articles and they all say just less then 100 million miles. You have to remember that Mars and the Earth are not locked to each other, so one can be on the other side of the Sun or on the same side as the Sun. I think 100 million miles means that we're at about a 45 degree angle from Mars in the solar plane (With the Sun as the axis). Probably a astronomy buff could answer exactly.

Clarification here.

On 31JAN2014 (pic taken date) the distance in between Mars and the Earth was as follows @ 06:00h CET :

Km :159.273.650,79

Miles : 98.989.217,40

AU : 1,06467860

(The distance mentioned in the NASA article is correct)

Source : http://www.stellarium.org/en/ (a must have, btw)

:yes:

Edited by toast
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That's way over an AU, which can't be right. It must be in kilometres.

Others have already given you the figures showing you that NASA is right. But why are they right and you wrong? Think about it for a moment. Think about the fact that Mars and Earth are orbiting the Sun at different speeds, taking different amounts of time to complete an orbit.

Has the answer come to you yet?

To clarify, Mars and Earth are not at fixed distances from each other. Think about the situation when Earth and Mars are opposite side of the Sun from Each other. Earth is 1 AU from the Sun. Mars is 1.52 AU from the Sun, but 2.52 AU from Earth.

So Mars can be more than 2.5 AU from Earth... do you still think the figure of 100 million miles is wrong?

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Awesome...I always imagined how the Earth looks like from another planet like Mars with its' atmosphere. From a module named "Curiosity" indicates our own curiosity in space exploration. To look at Earth from the rest of our solar system's perspective: we're a tiny speck in the middle of this vast universe.

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Hey Waspie,

I don't want to nit-pick but the main page of UM (not the forum) says, "The rover has taken a picture to show what Earth looks like from more than 100 million miles away." That's way over an AU, which can't be right. It must be in kilometres.

I don't know who to contact to correct this. You could probably fix this quicker.

Lets face it, its hard to mentally image the distance to the planets or even the clouds given an Earthbound perspective.

Here is a handy tool I found just the other day. Eliminates guess work and helps you surf the solar system.

Once in, click the top left icon and then use your cursor to manipulate Earths orbit for example, and the other planets follow exactly how they can be observed in real space time in their relative past , present and future orbits. Again use the cursor to learn distances to and from any planet you desire. But youll have fun figuring it yourself.

http://www.redicecre...olarsystem.html :tu:

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P.S.

Using the model I just rewound Earth orbit to Jan 31 2014 the supposed time of the Mars photo and discovered the distance meter between Earth and Mars was registering 1.06 Au.

.

This corresponds neatly to the news articles claim of 99 million miles.

P.P.S

Just worked out the calender feature. Choose the exact date and time anywhere between 1900 AD and 2100 AD that you wish to observe the solar system.

Edited by taniwha
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I never really thought about how the Earth would look from another planet. I suppose that is because I have never wondered what we would look like to Martians...because there aren't any Martians...but now...there is an Alien Earthling observing us from Mars. That is very interesting!

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If you look really close, you can see me waving. :yes::w00t:

Edited by pallidin
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Great, now I have "Big Blue Marble in Space" from Schoolhouse Rock stuck in my head. Cool pic tho.

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How do they control curiosity when its millions of miles away?

In these days of global telecommunications, cheap computers, pilotless drones and driverless cars I find it surprising, even a little shocking that someone even needs to ask this question.

Since the question has been asked...

Instruction are transmitted to Curiosity via the huge antennae of NASA's Deep Space Network. These will tell the rover where NASA wants it to drive too. Curiosity will use it's navigation cameras to surveyor the route, looking for obstacles. It's on-board computers will command it to avoid anything it perceives as hazardous. If it can not calculate a new route it will stop and await new orders.

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That is a Epson scanned copy of a real photo,

And the person forgot to wipe a cookie crum

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