Mars festival, central ceremony
Buet field, Dhaka
Mars festival committee had arranged a discussion named Mars close-up in buet auditorium. 1200 people had participated in this program. Dr A. R. Khan, Ameteur astronomer and life member of anushandhitsu chokro was the chief guest. F. R. Sarker, Munir Hasan, Dr. mobarak ali akand were also present.
In buet field Mars observation started at 8pm. More than 5000 people had joined in this program. But cloud covered the sky till 9.30pm. Mars peeps up in the sky for little moment. People were very delighted by observing mars through telescope.
Mars Observation Map

Explore "Mars Guide" by BBC International.

Mars observation, Khilgoa High School Playground & Demra ferighat, dhaka
More than 300 people have served mars. People are very delighted by observing mars through telescope. Ameteur astromer Shamsul Alam khan, Niazul Islam, Naimul Islam have directed the mars observation camp.
Mars Observation Map

Desciption : Observing Mars in Dhaka Basaboo Playground, Bangladesh.
Photo Credit : F. R. Sarker [17 August 2003]

The executive committee of Mars Festival 2003

President:
Prof. Dr A R Khan
Vice-president:
Prof. Dr. M. Zafar Iqbal
F R Sarker
Festival Director
Munir Hasan
Joint Festival Director
Naimul Islam Apu
Member
Shamsul Alam Khan Kochi
Dr Sarwat Jahan Sudha
Hitler A Halim
Faridur Rahman Pantha

Mars observation, Bashabo playground
More than 500 people have observed mars from bashaboo playground, 17th august,2003.

Article on "Mars Festival 2003" published in the Daily Prothom Alo

Mars Observation Schedule


Observation Time : 7.30 PM - 11.00 PM


17 August - Bashabo Playground, Dhaka
18 August - Khilgaon Hish School Playground, Dhaka and Demra FeriGhat
19 August - Mugdapara, Dhaka
20 August - Middle Badda, Dhaka and Pubail, Gazipur
21 August - Matlab thana, Chandpur and Elephant road, Dhaka
22 August - Dhanmondi Playground
23 August - Panchagar
24 August - Dinazpur and Brahmanbaria
25 August - Rajshahi and Comilla
26 August - Sangsad Bhaban Chattar
27 August - Central Festival, BUET, Dhaka
28 August - Old Dhaka, Jagannath College
29 August - Jessore and Chittagong
30 August - Jhinaidah and Narayangonj
1 September - Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet
3 September - Nandail, Mymensingh
5 September - Closing Ceremony at Dhaka


Contact Phone : 011871670 or 7200637
email : marsfest2003@yahoo.com

Desciption : Observing Mars in Dhaka Mirpur Stadium, Bangladesh.
Photo Credit : Sahadat Pervez Anchal [14 August 2003]

Mars ready for close-up, best view in 60,000 years
Reuters
Washington, August 5

On August 27 Mars Will Make History

At the end of this month, a event will occur in our solar system that has not been witnessed in 60,000 years. Mars, our cold, reddish neighbor, will be the closest to Earth it has ever been in recorded history.

A few minutes before 6 a.m. on August 27, Mars and Earth will pass each other while traveling in their respective orbits, reaching a separation distance of about 34,646,000 miles. Mars will appear the brightest and biggest it will be in our lifetime, outshined only by planet Venus and the Moon.

"It's a good time to pull out a telescope and go look," said Bob Vanson, the president of the Custer Institute, an astronomical observatory in Southold. "If it's a reasonably clear, calm night, the viewing could be excellent."

Mars will appear red, orange or yellowish in the sky, depending on atmospheric conditions. It will rise over Long Island around 8 p.m., about a half-hour after sunset. According to Vanson, Mars will only climb to about 30 degrees in the sky, which means that it will reach a height that is less than halfway between the horizon and the "top" of the sky. The best time to begin viewing the planet will be a couple hours after it rises.

With even a small backyard telescope it may be possible to see surface features on Mars, such as its polar ice cap, dust storms and dark spots. Vanson said that it also might be possible to see "Martian flares," which are guessed to be brief reflections of sunlight off of clouds or frozen gas crystals in Mars' atmosphere.

To understand why we'll be getting such a good view of Mars it is necessary to visualize a particular configuration of Earth, Mars and the Sun that is called "opposition." If a person could look down upon the solar system from above, Earth, Mars and the Sun would form a straight line, with Earth and Mars on the same side of the Sun and Earth in the middle.

In and of itself, opposition is not uncommon - one happens about every 26 months when Earth "laps" Mars, briefly lining up with it. The last time was in June of 2001. This happens because Earth revolves around the Sun faster than Mars and the length of its orbit is shorter. It takes 365 days for Earth to make one revolution around the Sun, while it takes Mars 687 days.

Every 15 to 17 years, an opposition occurs that is rarer, bringing Earth and Mars even closer together. But this month's opposition is even more unique. It occurs when Earth is nearly the furthest it can get from the Sun. This furthest point is called "aphelion." Mars will be nearly the closest it can get from the Sun; that closest point is called "perihelion." With Earth and Mars located next to each other under these conditions, we get a special chance to view Mars.

One might wonder why Earth and Mars have such points on their orbits that bring them closest or furthest from the Sun. The reason is because Earth and Mars don't orbit the Sun in perfect circular paths, always the same radial distance from it. Instead, the orbits are slightly elliptical, or oval-shaped. Mars' orbit is positioned such that when the planet is at one end of the ellipse, it is closest to the Sun, and when at the other end, it is furthest.

Mars will not approach this close again until 2287. However, that opposition will bring Mars even closer to Earth. This is because, slowly, Mars and Earth are working towards an opposition in which Earth is at full aphelion and Mars is at full perihelion.

Our programme

Regular observation of mars with open eye
Observation of mars with binocular.
Discussion sessions.
...and many more..