Mars to rise in early hours

Carol Redford (aka Galaxy Girl)Wanneroo Times

On Christmas Day at 4am, or earlier if you can, see if you can find Mars above the eastern horizon.

The planet looks like a red-coloured star. Brighter and yellow-coloured Saturn will be shining lower on the horizon.

On November 5, India launched its first ever interplanetary mission to the red planet.

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will observe the physical features of Mars and carry out a study of its atmosphere.

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In the US, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft blasted off from Earth on November 19.

This mission aims to find out if the Sun stripped Mars of most of its atmosphere, turning it into a cold and barren desert world.

Stargazers Club has a special free membership offer for the school holidays. Visit www. stargazersclubwa.com.au, click ‘join now’, select one month and use coupon code: Mars14 for a free membership trial.