On Saturday (Sept. 24) and for several days around it, Mars will be visible by a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus labeled NGC1746 by astronomers.
While observing the Red Planet's closest approach, the stars in NGC1746 will be a loose 'clump' of stars roughly the width of a thumb above Mars and to the left. After Saturday the orbital path of Mars will see it migrate below NGC1746 and move to the left.
Because of its visual magnitude of 6.1, NGC1746 can be easily spotted with a pair of binoculars. Mars will brighten during September reaching a magnitude of -0.59 (with the minus symbol denoting very bright objects) meaning that when Mars is closest to the star cluster, it can be seen with binoculars. The two are close enough on Saturday to see together with a telescope.
Related: Night sky, September 2022: What you can see tonight [maps]
According to In-The-Sky.org (opens in new tab), the star cluster will be visible in the dawn sky over New York and reaches an altitude of 72 above the southern horizon. (A fist at arm's length corresponds to around 10 degrees.) NGC1746 is wider than the full moon in the sky and fades from view at around 5:37 a.m. EDT (0937 GMT) as dawn breaks.
There is some debate about the nature of NGC1746, located around 2,500 light-years from Earth and first described by German astronomer Heinrich Louis d'Arrest in 1863 and included in astronomy's New General Catalogue (opens in new tab) or NGC.
For many years it has been considered an open cluster. An open cluster is a collection of a few thousand stars that formed when dense patches in the same molecular cloud of cold gas undergo gravitational collapse.
There is now some doubt as to whether this is the case, however, with many astronomers suggesting that NGC1746 is actually a random association of unrelated stars of different origins against a dense background starfield. If correct, this means NGC1746 is a type of astronomical association called an asterism.
Asterisms are loose collections of stars that are associated only by their positions in the night sky above Earth similar to the constellation classification system. This means that some stars in an asterism could be closely located in space, while others just appear close together from our vantage point here on Earth.
Visible with the naked eye, some asterisms are small and very simple, while others are much larger and more complex. The most famous example of an asterism is arguably the Big Dipper, comprised of the seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, or the Great Bear.
Following its close encounter with NGC1746, Mars will reach its closest distance to Earth on Dec. 1, 2022, when skywatchers should be able to distinguish some of its dark surface features.
Whether you're new to skywatching or a seasoned veteran, be sure not to miss our guides for thebest binocularsand thebest telescopesto spot Mars, star clusters, and other objects in the night sky. For capturing the best moon pictures you can, check out our guide forphotographing the moon, along with our recommendations for the bestcameras for astrophotographyandbest lenses for astrophotography.
Editor's Note:If you snap a photo of Mars near NGC1746 and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or on Facebook (opens in new tab).
Read more:
See Mars pass an asterism in the Taurus constellation on Saturday (Sept. 24) - Space.com
- Giant Mars asteroid impact creates vast field of destruction with 2 billion craters - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- NASA's attempt to bring home part of Mars is unprecedented: The mission's problems are not - Phys.org - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Spacecraft Marks 25,000 Orbits With Volcanoes, Clouds And A Moon - Forbes - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. The debris could hit Mars. - National Geographic - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Elon Musk Says 'Almost Anyone' Can Afford A $100,000 Ticket To Mars By Working And Saving But 57% Of People ... - Yahoo Finance - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Mysteries: Unveiling the Icy Craters - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Future Mars plane could help solve Red Planet methane mystery (exclusive) - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Sols 4137-4138: Fascinated by Fascination Turret! NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Drilling for water ice on Mars: How close are we to making it happen? - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- This Summer, Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Deads From the Mars Hotel - Rolling Stone - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars and Las Vegas from those MGM debt rumours to his new bar - Style - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars using Ansys software to transform packaging development - Recycling Today - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars as a Driver of Deep-Sea Erosion - Eos - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- A Song of Ice and Tectonics - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Hill students, faculty join residents to mourn 10 campus trees ahead of removal - Citizen Times - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) - Shore Fire Media - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Texas will be the launchpad for Mars: Governor announces board of directors for Texas Space Commission - KWTX - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- M&Ms and Snickers parent company Mars spending $70M to open an 'innovation lab' in NJ - NorthJersey.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Historic water bomber, Hawaii Martin Mars, to be displayed in BC museum - The Nelson Daily - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) - NASA - NASA Mars Exploration - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- This little rover will ride shotgun on Japan's ambitious Mars moon sample-return mission - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Lawmakers announce caucus focused on space and planetary science - NBC News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The science value of Mars Sample Return - The Planetary Society - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Study determines the original orientations of rocks drilled on Mars - MIT News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The secret history of water on Mars: What ancient climate change tells us about the future on Earth - Salon - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Bridging the cultural divide for moon to Mars - SpaceNews - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mars was once a cradle for life, according to scientists - Earth.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Curiosity Rover is Climbing Through Dramatic Striped Terrain on Mars - Universe Today - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Sols 4114-4115: Bingo! It's Official Curiosity's 40th Successful Drill Hole on Mars! NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Will NASA be able to return Mars samples to Earth? New audit raises doubts - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA Discovery Could Mean Mars Had Life-Supporting Hydrothermal Vents - Syfy - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Perseverance rover spots Ingenuity helicopter's snapped-off rotor blade on Mars (photos) - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA's Mars Sample Return Program struggles to get off the drawing board - The Register - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA Eyes New Operating Plan For Mars Sample Return Mission - Aviation Week - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Scientists find unexpected biomolecule on Mars that could have triggered life on the red planet - WION - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mythical Retellings, Mars Colonies, and Reincarnated Lovers: March's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books - Literary Hub - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars adding 12 new Las Vegas performances, opens The Pinky Ring - KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Contact restored with NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter - UPI News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Massive deposits of water ice discovered on the equator of Mars - EL PAS USA - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Do we have to go to Mars to see the Martian Mountains? - Tehran Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA lost contact with its Mars helicopter. - The Verge - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- MICK MARS Shows Off His Guitar Collection - "I'm A Tone Guy, Even Though I'm Half Deaf Now"; Video - bravewords.com - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Opens Transformative $42m Snacking Research and Development Hub in Chicago - PR Newswire - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA lost contact with Mars helicopter Ingenuity, then managed to find it again - The Register - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mick Mars Explains What Set Mtley Cre Apart from Other '80s Bands, Recalls Why They Decided to Tune Down - Ultimate Guitar - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Suspected Small Oceans Worth of Ice Found Under Surface of Mars - High Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Express Finds New Evidence for Ice-Rich Layered Deposits in Medusae Fossae - Sci.News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mysterious patch on Mars appears to be enormous lump of ice - New Scientist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Solvents may pave way for building on Mars and the moon - Futurity: Research News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- A Massive Amount of Water Ice Has Been Found on Mars, Lurking Beneath The Equator - ScienceAlert - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA says it's reestablished contact with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter - Engadget - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars senior executive reveals his best career hack for climbing the corporate ladder: Stop fixating on that promotion. Worry about learning, not your... - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA has lost communication with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter - Digital Trends - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- ESA's Mars Express orbiter discovers ice water deposits at the Red Planet's equator - Euronews - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- McLean-based Mars opens new R&D hub focused on chocolate - Washington Business Journal - The Business Journals - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Opens Snacking Research And Development Hub In Chicago | ESM Magazine - ESM European Supermarket Magazine - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- The Ice Sheet on Mars is Even Thicker Than Previously Believed - Universe Today - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Seas of water ice may sit underground at Mars equator - New Atlas - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Scientists Discover Enough Mars Ice to Cover Planet in Water - Futurism - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Before Their Time Vol. 3. In the NBAs history, many players have | by Mars Robinson | SportsRaid | Jan, 2024 - Medium - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Winter crops damaged by weather across Europe: MARS - AgriCensus - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Frozen Water Discovered on Mars Could Fill Red Sea - Newsweek - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Early Mars Climate was Complex, with Streams Flowing Intermittently for Millions of Years - Universe Today - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA announces its reconnected with helicopter stationed on Mars - TweakTown - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- US regains contact with Ingenuity mini-helicopter on Mars - The National - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Spirit and Opportunity rovers celebrate 20 years of exploration - Earth.com - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Martian water reservoir changes our perception of the Red Planet - BGR - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- New map of ice on Mars could help NASA decide where to send future astronauts - Space.com - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Detailed Mars Water Map Shows Where to Land Future Explorers - Gizmodo - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Daily briefing: A unique layer of molten rock envelops Mars's core - Nature.com - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Book review: A City on Mars, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith - The New York Times - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- WPIAL Class 4A football roundup: Late TD lifts Mars to Greater Allegheny Conference title - TribLIVE.com - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- NASA Is Locating Ice on Mars With This New Map - NASA - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Curiosity rover discovers new evidence Mars once had 'right ... - Space.com - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- NASA's Ingenuity helicopter aces longest Mars flight in 18 months - Space.com - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- How AI could help the hunt for life on Mars - Big Think - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Mars Hill's rally deals blow to Scottsboro's chances of being 5A ... - Jackson County Sentinel - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Breakthrough Kidney Stone Procedure Makes It Possible For ... - Slashdot - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- 'People think Gen Z are from Mars' why workplaces must reassess ... - People Management Magazine - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Graffiti mars schools and park - The Acorn - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]