December 21-31, 2024: Mars marches westward as it retrogrades in front of Cancer and to the east of Pollux, a Gemini Twin.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Mars Marches Retrograde
Mars is retrograding – appearing to move westward compared to the distant stars – in front of Cancer a dim starfield between Gemini and Leo.
The planet’s place against the stars is best seen when it is high in the sky. The air near the horizon blurs and dims celestial bodies, seen in the rising and setting sun and moon. If observations cannot occur when Mars as it is best viewing spot, look for it later during the evening or before morning twilight begins about 90 minutes before daybreak.
Best Views Occur when Mars is High in South
Mars is visible nearly all night, leading up to its opposition on January 15th. On December 26th, it rises 114 minutes after sunset and is in the southern sky over five hours before sunrise. During morning twilight, it is about 30° up in the western sky.
Binocular View
Use a binocular to watch Mars move compared to the Beehive star cluster – a bundle of a few hundred stars nearly 600 light years away. The cluster appears three times larger than the Full moon and easily spills out of a telescopic eyepiece. It is visible to the unassisted eye from a dark location without outdoor lighting. Asellus Borealis, Eta Cancri (η Cnc on the chart), and Theta Cancri (θ Cnc) appear near the cluster.
The accompanying chart shows Mars location through a binocular from December 21st through the 31st. On the first night, it is 2.2° from Eta Cancri and 2.7° east of Lambda Cancri (λ Cnc on the binocular chart). By the 31st, Mars is only 0.5° from Lambda.
Watch Mars march retrograde as the calendar year ends.
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