Mars closest ever to Earth

On Wednesday, the planet Mars will be the closest to Earth in nearly 60,000 years. For this occasion, the newly formed Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics will be organising a Mars Week at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta from tomorrow to Sunday between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Education Minister Louis Galea will inaugurate the event which will feature wall boards, telescopes, astronomy books and an antique Merz telescope owned and restored by the University. Several weeks will be held throughout the week at the Music Room.

On Tuesday at 7 p.m. Alex M. Bonnici will talk on Mars through history, the Lowell observatory and the canal saga. Sandro Lanfranco will talk on Mars' topography and geology at 7.30 p.m. followed by another talk by Gordon Caruana Dingli on space probes to Mars.

On Wednesday at 7 p.m. Stephen Brincat will deliver a lecure on the new CCD astronomy followed by another talk by David Pace on the quest for life on Mars. Amateur astronomers' observations on Mars is the theme of a talk by Ray Pace on Friday at 7 p.m. followed by Alex Gatt who will talk on orbital characteristics, atmosphere and internal structure of the moons of Mars at 7.30 p.m. At 8 p.m. Alex M. Bonnici will talk on simulated martian environments on Earth. The exhibition and talks are open to the public.

The Astronomical Society of Malta is also holding an astronomy week starting with a public observing session of Mars at Ghar id-Dud, Sliema, (close to the old Chalet site) tomorrow from 8.30 p.m. onwards.

The main scope of the astronomy week is to promote the study of astronomy and to bring astronomy to the public.

The astronomy week this year was dedicated entirely to the red planet Mars which on Wednesday will be close to Earth than it has been in the past 60,000 years, ASM public relations official Saviour Grech said. In fact the distance between the two planets will be 34,646,418 miles.

Two public lectures about the planet Mars and its exploration will be held at the Artisan Market at Bay Street Complex on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and at Villa Bighi, Kalkara on Friday at 7 p.m. A viewing session for young observers will be organised near Ta' Fra Ben at Bugibba on Thursday at 8.30 p.m.

The public will be able to view Mars at its best through telescopes set up by society members. Another public viewing will be held in Gozo, next to the Qbajjar promenade, on Saturday at 8.30 p.m.