A celestial spectacle to behold without fail

Cloudy skies may play dampener

Hyderabad: Experts say that cloudy skies are likely to mar the event for amateur space enthusiasts in India. The Astronomical Society of India cautioned, “For serious astronomers, this event does offer an extraordinary opportunity to study Mars through their telescopes.

However, the layperson who might expect to see dramatic details of the surface of Mars would probably be disappointed,” the statement said.

“Since we are in the middle of the monsoon here in India, the sky is likely to be cloudy,” it said.

“People in Jammu & Kashmir and Tamil Nadu are most likely to be able to witness the event clearly,” Aniket Sule, Chair of the Public Outreach and Education Committee (POEC) of Astronomical Society of India, said. Even at closest approach, Mars will seem small.

It would take a telescope equipped with a lens or mirror that is at least 6 inches in aperture to discern even the major surface features of Mars.

Nonetheless, it would be an exciting opportunity to view the bright red planet right next to the red (eclipsed) Moon on that night.