Sky Watch: An opposite view of Mars

As we in the Northern Hemisphere begin to think about the warming weather of March, stargazers also look forward to a change of celestial scenery. We'll soon bid adieu to the brilliant stars of winter and cast our gaze toward the eastern sky for those of springtime. But anyone familiar with those constellations will this year notice something different among them: a ruby jewel known as the Red Planet, Mars.

Now glowing at its brightest, Mars appears against the stars of the constellation Leo, the Lion. Leo's stars lie, of course, trillions of miles farther than the planet and appear only along the same line of sight. Mars now lies at "opposition," the point at which it appears on the opposite side of the sky from the sun. Head outdoors shortly after sunset and you'll see what I mean. Stand with your back to the sunset point, and there, right in front of you, will glow the brilliant orange light of Mars. You'll have a hard time missing it since it outshines every star in the night sky except for the most sparkling of them all: Sirius.

Stargazers who keep a close eye on the Red Planet over the next few weeks will notice it drifting its way westward through the stars of Leo -- almost as far as the bright star Regulus -- where it will appear to stop its westward motion through the constellation, turn around and begin heading eastward once again. By summertime, it will appear to enter the constellation of Virgo, the maiden, and will be on its way to dimming significantly.