New Mars Forums

===
Today on Mars: 0038/16/3 Friday Days of the week OFFSET 6 with Earth.  (count from Mars to Earth )
Sol 431 Business Month 16 Fourth month of Quarter 3 of Year 38
Today on Earth: 2026/01/29 Thursday Earth Date) Post Title: Today on Mars
====*====*==

To see how this calendar works, we show the standard 28 day month at the bottom of this daily report.
There are 20 months of 28 Sols and 4 months of 27 Sols at the end of the four six-month quarters.
New Years Eve is extended to align the Business Calendar for Mars with the Astronomical calendar.
Business and Astronomical both start at zero (to the nanosecond) on New Year's Day.
This calendar has been in operation for two full Mars years (36 and 37). We are in Year 38

Per http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/mars/tim … _time.html also see: in-the-sky.org for opposition/perigee/aphelion

Martian Year: 38  Martian Astronomical Month in 12 month format: 7 <<== The Astronomical  month will increment when longitude reaches 210 degrees

===
Solar Longitude: 215.6 Sol Number: 431  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038431
Solar Longitude: 215.0 Sol Number: 430  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038430
Solar Longitude: 214.4 Sol Number: 429  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038429
#>

Note that Solar Longitude measurement varies as a function of location in orbit.  Ls 0 is the moment when the Sun appears to transit from one hemisphere to the other.  Update from Mars.NASA.gov (The Sun crosses the equator of Mars (Vernal Equinox)). The transition itself is a function of the tilt of an object with respect to the Solar plane. Per squarewidget.com, Hipparchus created the celestial coordinate system we use today.

Note#2: https://theskylive.com/mars-tracker  This web site shows the astronomical position of Mars as seen from Earth
Todo: At next Aphelion/Perihelion record the Mars date as J00##### (and set Search term)
Perihelion occurred in 2024 at Ls 251 on Sol 485 - Earth Date 2024/05/08 Next: (estimated) 2026/03/06
Perihelion occurred in 2022 at Ls 251 on Sol 485 - Earth Date 2022/06/21 Next: (actual) 2024/05/08
Aphelion Earth Dates: Next: 2027/03/04 Earlier: 2025/04/16, 2023/05/30, 2021/07/12, 2019/08/25, 2017/10/07, 2015/11/20
Aphelion occurred at--- Ls 071 on Sol 152. 
Aphelion occurred near Ls 070 on Sol 153 (per http://www.planetary.org)

Note#3: The computations below are dependent upon both the computations provided by the reference web site and by accuracy of recording of the time of observations.  The calculations use tenths of hours.  The Sun Distance needs to be captured at the moment the time increments to a given tenth.

Note on data below: The figure quoted after distance is a rate of progress along the orbital path [exact meaning to be determined]
Minus prefix means Mars is approaching the Sun.  Plus prefix means Mars is moving away from the Sun.
The figure computed to the right of "Difference" is the rate of change of the distance to Sun. Increasing to Aphelion/Decreasing to Perihelion.

Aphelion of Mars is due March 04, 2027 Sol 151-152 Note velocity of Mars was 22.0 km/s nearing Aphelion (21.97 km/s)

===
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   209,884,708 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -113233 <= -4718 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/29 (time 12:00) (24.0 hours)
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   209,997,941 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -114949 <= -4790 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/28 (time 12:00) (24.0 hours)
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   210,112,890 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -111754 <= -4859 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/27 (time 12:00) (23.0 hours)
==*==*==*

Observation: The sky view is ** filled ** with objects and some have been recorded and given identification by humans or their robot assistants
And! ** All ** the location assignments are from the perspective of Earth.  The entire catalog needs to be adjusted when inter-stellar travel begins
The work that lies ahead for the astronomical community is daunting - there is work ahead for centuries
2022/01/19 - All current (existing) stellar catalogs are computed with reference to the Earth.  Another civilization would use it's planet as reference.
Perhaps a Milky Way frame of reference will become necessary at some point. The Earth is as good a Zero point as any, for humans.

=== Mars is in Regular movement as seen from Earth.
Next ahead:  Star right above 8 hours marker: TYC 6337-1395-1 20h 29m 22.3s Day 0
Star above path TYC 6337-1575-1 RA 20h 26m 55.5s (pointer) Day 0 – Day f1 past 8 hours marker
====*====*===

Zoom Out Capability As a general observation ... I've become increasingly interested in knowing what the larger view of the sky might be like.
The site: theskylive.com does a terrific job of matching the view from Earth towards Mars, against a background of actual astronomical plates.
I wish there were a way (or rather, I wish I ** knew ** about a way that may exist) to enlarge the view until the entire galaxy is in view (Zoom out)
Update 2022/12/08 TheSkyLive.com provides a large view of selected objects: Select [Major Bodies] Then select [Information] in the body of interest
Update 2022/12/08 Scroll down to (body) Position and Finder Charts. Field of view is 50x30 degrees.

Light travel in one second is (about) 300,000 kilometers. The distance covered in one minute is about 18,000,000 kilometers. Estimated light times:
1:18,2:36,3:54,4:72,5:90,6:108,7:126,8:144,9:162,10:180,11:198,12:216,13:234,14:252,15:270,16:288,17:306,18:324, 19:342,20:360,21:378,22:396

Light travel time today is between 19 and 20 minutes. Communications delay would be 38+ minutes round trip.

=== Time estimate will change below 342
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/29 356,306,275 (decreasing)
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/28 356,486,294 (decreasing)
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/27 356,664,851 (decreasing)
<<#

Maximum Earth-Mars distance is estimated to be 401 million kilometers (both at apogee and opposite vs Sun) Minimum is about 56 million kilometers
Mars and Earth were in Opposition (Earth center)  in December of 2022.  The date coincided with a (very rare) occultation of Mars by the Moon.
Mars and Earth were in Conjunction (Sun center) in November of 2023.
Mars and Earth appear to have been as close as they will get in Year 36. 81,454,323 kilometers on J0036644 Time: 4.53 minutes - 9 minutes round trip

In his online interview with Dr. Zubrin at the 2020 Mars Conference, Elon Musk reminded the audience that communications with Mars will necessarily include an intermediary station to handle traffic when the Sun is between Mars and Earth.  Communications delays in that circumstance will increase due to the extra distance to be covered.  Mr. Musk indicated he expects such communication will be handled by laser.  Location would be optimum at poles of solar plane.

This web site offers an online model of the solar system: www.solarsystemscope.com  It requires Chrome 57, Firefox 52 or Safari 10.1. Viewed 2022/10/13: Opposition will occur some time in December of 2022.  Per earthsky.org, the date is December 8, 2022.

This web site offers an online orrery view of the Solar System: https://www.theplanetstoday.com/

===
Sol 431 is in Month 16 of a Proposed 24 month calendar. See Post 19 of Holidays topic for a summary.
Month  16 extends from Sol 419 through 446. <<== There are 28 days in Month 16. See post 82 of Holidays topic for current details.
Direct path to source: http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 57#p154257
Sol 431 is Friday in the Proposed Business calendar for Mars.   Sol 413 was a Skip Day on Mars. Next is near 450 of Year 38
##

The Next New Year's on Mars will occur when Solar Longitude reaches 360 degrees. Year 38 started November 12, 2024 on Earth
Per www.planetary.org Year 36 started 2021/02/07 on Earth. Mars Year 37 began 2022/12/27 on Earth.

Days of the Week Alignment:
Days of the week fall behind Earth due to the longer Sol, but they also change when Friday is omitted at the end of a Quarter
337 Earth days were observed to elapse in the 2020 weekday cycle. There were 7 week day transitions and 2 Quarter ends.
The next cycle began on the first Sol of the period of coincidence. The  alignment of weekdays interval is in the range: (310 - 337)
To find the first day of a period of coincidence: Set up: SearchTerm(colon) and (colon)Alignment and J0036* or J0037*
The most recent End-Of-Quarter change occurred: … The search specified above gave 11 pages of results.

For current weather on Mars see:

   ***https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/weather/***
   ***Insight's weather info has been suspended and now is directing to msl*** <<-- Insight's mission is over (2022)

https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/weather/

Per SpaceNut: Here is another web page by NASA containing the latest news releases

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/?page=0&per_ … ope=Latest

All forum members are invited to post significant events for this day.
Events of interest will be ON Mars, or relate to Mars. Examples are launches, landings, discoveries

Standard Month in Mars Business Calendar Copyright ® 2023 NewMars.com Mars Society
Su    Mo    Tu    We    Th    Fr    Sa
1        2      3      4      5      6      7
8        9    10     11    12    13    14
15    16    17     18    19    20    21
22    23    24     25    26    27    28

Recruiting text may be found at the bottom of this post:  http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 57#p154257
Copyright the Mars Society All Rights Reserved

Month 16 of 24: Fourth month of the 3rd Quarter and Second Half

===
Today on Mars: 0038/16/2 Thursday Days of the week OFFSET 6 with Earth.  (count from Mars to Earth )
Sol 430 Business Month 16 Fourth month of Quarter 3 of Year 38
Today on Earth: 2026/01/28 Wednesday Earth Date) Post Title: Today on Mars
====*====*==

To see how this calendar works, we show the standard 28 day month at the bottom of this daily report.
There are 20 months of 28 Sols and 4 months of 27 Sols at the end of the four six-month quarters.
New Years Eve is extended to align the Business Calendar for Mars with the Astronomical calendar.
Business and Astronomical both start at zero (to the nanosecond) on New Year's Day.
This calendar has been in operation for two full Mars years (36 and 37). We are in Year 38

Per http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/mars/tim … _time.html also see: in-the-sky.org for opposition/perigee/aphelion

Martian Year: 38  Martian Astronomical Month in 12 month format: 7 <<== The Astronomical  month will increment when longitude reaches 210 degrees

===
Solar Longitude: 215.0 Sol Number: 430  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038430
Solar Longitude: 214.4 Sol Number: 429  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038429
Solar Longitude: 213.8 Sol Number: 428  Change in degrees is +.7 Julian date is: J0038428
#>

Note that Solar Longitude measurement varies as a function of location in orbit.  Ls 0 is the moment when the Sun appears to transit from one hemisphere to the other.  Update from Mars.NASA.gov (The Sun crosses the equator of Mars (Vernal Equinox)). The transition itself is a function of the tilt of an object with respect to the Solar plane. Per squarewidget.com, Hipparchus created the celestial coordinate system we use today.

Note#2: https://theskylive.com/mars-tracker  This web site shows the astronomical position of Mars as seen from Earth
Todo: At next Aphelion/Perihelion record the Mars date as J00##### (and set Search term)
Perihelion occurred in 2024 at Ls 251 on Sol 485 - Earth Date 2024/05/08 Next: (estimated) 2026/03/06
Perihelion occurred in 2022 at Ls 251 on Sol 485 - Earth Date 2022/06/21 Next: (actual) 2024/05/08
Aphelion Earth Dates: Next: 2027/03/04 Earlier: 2025/04/16, 2023/05/30, 2021/07/12, 2019/08/25, 2017/10/07, 2015/11/20
Aphelion occurred at--- Ls 071 on Sol 152. 
Aphelion occurred near Ls 070 on Sol 153 (per http://www.planetary.org)

Note#3: The computations below are dependent upon both the computations provided by the reference web site and by accuracy of recording of the time of observations.  The calculations use tenths of hours.  The Sun Distance needs to be captured at the moment the time increments to a given tenth.

Note on data below: The figure quoted after distance is a rate of progress along the orbital path [exact meaning to be determined]
Minus prefix means Mars is approaching the Sun.  Plus prefix means Mars is moving away from the Sun.
The figure computed to the right of "Difference" is the rate of change of the distance to Sun. Increasing to Aphelion/Decreasing to Perihelion.

Aphelion of Mars is due March 04, 2027 Sol 151-152 Note velocity of Mars was 22.0 km/s nearing Aphelion (21.97 km/s)

===
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   209,997,941 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -114949 <= -4790 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/28 (time 12:00) (24.0 hours)
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   210,112,890 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -111754 <= -4859 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/27 (time 12:00) (23.0 hours)
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   210,224,644 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -123173 <= -4927 km/hour at 13.0 on 01/26 (time 13:00) (25.0 hours)
==*==*==*

Observation: The sky view is ** filled ** with objects and some have been recorded and given identification by humans or their robot assistants
And! ** All ** the location assignments are from the perspective of Earth.  The entire catalog needs to be adjusted when inter-stellar travel begins
The work that lies ahead for the astronomical community is daunting - there is work ahead for centuries
2022/01/19 - All current (existing) stellar catalogs are computed with reference to the Earth.  Another civilization would use it's planet as reference.
Perhaps a Milky Way frame of reference will become necessary at some point. The Earth is as good a Zero point as any, for humans.

=== Mars is in Regular movement as seen from Earth.
Next ahead:  Star above path TYC 6337-1575-1 RA 20h 26m 55.5s (pointer) Day 0
PGC 3094409 above path and ahead of 8 hours marker on Day 0 RA 20h 23m 22.7s  Day 1 near right edge
====*====*===

Zoom Out Capability As a general observation ... I've become increasingly interested in knowing what the larger view of the sky might be like.
The site: theskylive.com does a terrific job of matching the view from Earth towards Mars, against a background of actual astronomical plates.
I wish there were a way (or rather, I wish I ** knew ** about a way that may exist) to enlarge the view until the entire galaxy is in view (Zoom out)
Update 2022/12/08 TheSkyLive.com provides a large view of selected objects: Select [Major Bodies] Then select [Information] in the body of interest
Update 2022/12/08 Scroll down to (body) Position and Finder Charts. Field of view is 50x30 degrees.

Light travel in one second is (about) 300,000 kilometers. The distance covered in one minute is about 18,000,000 kilometers. Estimated light times:
1:18,2:36,3:54,4:72,5:90,6:108,7:126,8:144,9:162,10:180,11:198,12:216,13:234,14:252,15:270,16:288,17:306,18:324, 19:342,20:360,21:378,22:396

Light travel time today is between 19 and 20 minutes. Communications delay would be 38+ minutes round trip.

=== Time estimate will change below 342
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/28 356,486k294 (decreasing)
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/27 356,664,851 (decreasing)
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/26 356,834,511 (decreasing)
<<#

Maximum Earth-Mars distance is estimated to be 401 million kilometers (both at apogee and opposite vs Sun) Minimum is about 56 million kilometers
Mars and Earth were in Opposition (Earth center)  in December of 2022.  The date coincided with a (very rare) occultation of Mars by the Moon.
Mars and Earth were in Conjunction (Sun center) in November of 2023.
Mars and Earth appear to have been as close as they will get in Year 36. 81,454,323 kilometers on J0036644 Time: 4.53 minutes - 9 minutes round trip

In his online interview with Dr. Zubrin at the 2020 Mars Conference, Elon Musk reminded the audience that communications with Mars will necessarily include an intermediary station to handle traffic when the Sun is between Mars and Earth.  Communications delays in that circumstance will increase due to the extra distance to be covered.  Mr. Musk indicated he expects such communication will be handled by laser.  Location would be optimum at poles of solar plane.

This web site offers an online model of the solar system: www.solarsystemscope.com  It requires Chrome 57, Firefox 52 or Safari 10.1. Viewed 2022/10/13: Opposition will occur some time in December of 2022.  Per earthsky.org, the date is December 8, 2022.

This web site offers an online orrery view of the Solar System: https://www.theplanetstoday.com/

===
Sol 430 is in Month 16 of a Proposed 24 month calendar. See Post 19 of Holidays topic for a summary.
Month  16 extends from Sol 419 through 446. <<== There are 28 days in Month 16. See post 82 of Holidays topic for current details.
Direct path to source: http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 57#p154257
Sol 430 is Thursday in the Proposed Business calendar for Mars.   Sol 413 was a Skip Day on Mars. Next is near 450 of Year 38
##

The Next New Year's on Mars will occur when Solar Longitude reaches 360 degrees. Year 38 started November 12, 2024 on Earth
Per www.planetary.org Year 36 started 2021/02/07 on Earth. Mars Year 37 began 2022/12/27 on Earth.

Days of the Week Alignment:
Days of the week fall behind Earth due to the longer Sol, but they also change when Friday is omitted at the end of a Quarter
337 Earth days were observed to elapse in the 2020 weekday cycle. There were 7 week day transitions and 2 Quarter ends.
The next cycle began on the first Sol of the period of coincidence. The  alignment of weekdays interval is in the range: (310 - 337)
To find the first day of a period of coincidence: Set up: SearchTerm(colon) and (colon)Alignment and J0036* or J0037*
The most recent End-Of-Quarter change occurred: … The search specified above gave 11 pages of results.

For current weather on Mars see:

   ***https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/weather/***
   ***Insight's weather info has been suspended and now is directing to msl*** <<-- Insight's mission is over (2022)

https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/weather/

Per SpaceNut: Here is another web page by NASA containing the latest news releases

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/?page=0&per_ … ope=Latest

All forum members are invited to post significant events for this day.
Events of interest will be ON Mars, or relate to Mars. Examples are launches, landings, discoveries

Standard Month in Mars Business Calendar Copyright ® 2023 NewMars.com Mars Society
Su    Mo    Tu    We    Th    Fr    Sa
1        2      3      4      5      6      7
8        9    10     11    12    13    14
15    16    17     18    19    20    21
22    23    24     25    26    27    28

Recruiting text may be found at the bottom of this post:  http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 57#p154257
Copyright the Mars Society All Rights Reserved

Month 16 of 24: Fourth month of the 3rd Quarter and Second Half

For SpaceNut ... please do not move or delete any more posts.

I will discontinue updates to all topics except the Calendar.

(th)

For kbd512 re #400

You nailed a century post!

This one is just to let you know your guidance was received and it is appreciated.

The near term looks promising.  We can use a size specification for the habitats.  Don't worry about height at this point. We need width and depth.

I'm guess at 15 meters wide and 30 meters deep.  If that is good for you please let us know.

Calculations depend upon those firm numbers.

Also ... Please note that the calculations lead in the direction of 360 plots which can be distributed among 250 families. The remaining 110 can be used for retail businesses and small manufacturing activities.  That might turn out to be close to the ratio seen in small towns around the world.  I have only a sense of what the ratio actually might be. I've never thought about it before.  The advantage of the 360 plot target is that the address of the location on the ring is a natural consequence of the decision.

You may (probably do) recall that the layout of Washington was the work of:

Your ring concept seems to me to have potential as a precedent setting concept.  Your ideas about materials will secure a slightly different place in history, but no less significant.

Please spend a few minutes thinking about the 110 vacancies we've just opened up. 

(th)

This bookmark is for a post by Void, about "teardrops" as shapes for delivery of supplies.

https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 72#p237672

(th)

The data in Post #27 was generated by a Python program written by ChatGPT5.2

I had requested a program to plot locations of habitats arranged in a circle on Mars.

Here is the initial plot of the data.  I understand that Calc can be instructed to create a map.

The Orange bar on the top is the radius of each habitat from the center of the site

The blue bar is the compass angle of the habitat from the center and around the ring.

The X and Y values presumably can be translated into a map, but I thought our readers might be interested to see the relationship between the columns.

And here is the plot of the habitats....

Please note that this is a very human scaled layout!  The measurements are in meters. The radius is just over a kilometer.

The center of the ring can be where all sorts of facilities are located, including manufacturing, agriculture, services such as power, fluids and gas.

(th)

This post is a "tip of the hat" to GW Johnson, who drove a VW Beetle in an ice storm to get back to college.

I asked Google for the oldest Beetle still running, and if found a definite candidate:

GW's Beetle was not ** that ** old, but (if memory serves) it is still preserved and it might be restored.

(th)

Place holder for today's Calendar update:

[51.4792N, 0.0000E] 01/27/2026, 13:00:06 Europe/London
Object: Mars   (open sky map)
RA 20h 23m 10.8s Dec -20° 25' 39.5" Appar J2000
Mag: 1.14 (Estimated: JPL)  Const: Capricornus
Sun Dist: 210,112,890 km [26.1 km/s]
Earth Dist: 356,664,851 km [56.3 km/s]

Martian Year:   
38
Martian Astronomical Month:   
8
Solar longitude Ls:   
214.4
Sol number:   
429
Next ahead:  Four galaxies across path and one micro-Boomer just above HIP 100378 RA 20h 21m 26.5s Day 0 well ahead
PGC 839330 RA 20h 17m above path and well ahead on Day 0 – Day 1 on edge of view
Total number of registered users: 19,630
Total number of topics: 8,972
Total number of posts: 233,355

For SpaceNut ... we don't have to depend upon our AI artists .... We can create accurate models using Blender (or any other 3D design program).

I just created a folder for the QuonsetHutRing concept on Mars. 

To make a Quonset hut should be ** really ** simple.  Blender provides a basic cylinder and we can lay it on it's side and cut it in half. 

We can replicate that shape 25 times for the habitats, and however many times as are needed to make the roadway.

We can start with guessed dimensions, and when kbd512 gives us firm numbers, we can roll those into the model.

Blender can show the model in all kinds of views.

We can also add details such as fluid lines and other fixtures.

Meanwhile, we can ask the AI artists to create scenes that feature the new shapes.

(th)

For SpaceNut re nice drawings by Co-Pilot!  Neat!

Here is Gemini's Nano Banana trying again. It added airlocks and some regolith covering.

I think we are starting to get somewhere.  We still need kbd512's decision on size of each family dwelling.

The arithmetic can flow from that.

(th)

This post is about competition between SpaceX Starlink and the Blue Origin competition...

I decided to post here rather than start a new topic.  There may already be a better topic for this...

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/transportati … 00492.html

(th)

===
Today on Mars: 0038/16/10 Tuesday Days of the week OFFSET 6 with Earth.  (count from Mars to Earth )
Sol 428 Business Month 16 Fourth month of Quarter 3 of Year 38
Today on Earth: 2026/01/26 Monday Earth Date) Post Title: Today on Mars
====*====*==

To see how this calendar works, we show the standard 28 day month at the bottom of this daily report.
There are 20 months of 28 Sols and 4 months of 27 Sols at the end of the four six-month quarters.
New Years Eve is extended to align the Business Calendar for Mars with the Astronomical calendar.
Business and Astronomical both start at zero (to the nanosecond) on New Year's Day.
This calendar has been in operation for two full Mars years (36 and 37). We are in Year 38

Per http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/mars/tim … _time.html also see: in-the-sky.org for opposition/perigee/aphelion

Martian Year: 38  Martian Astronomical Month in 12 month format: 7 <<== The Astronomical  month will increment when longitude reaches 210 degrees

===
Solar Longitude: 213.8 Sol Number: 428  Change in degrees is +.7 Julian date is: J0038428
Solar Longitude: 213.1 Sol Number: 427  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038427
Solar Longitude: 212.5 Sol Number: 426  Change in degrees is +.6 Julian date is: J0038426
#>

Note that Solar Longitude measurement varies as a function of location in orbit.  Ls 0 is the moment when the Sun appears to transit from one hemisphere to the other.  Update from Mars.NASA.gov (The Sun crosses the equator of Mars (Vernal Equinox)). The transition itself is a function of the tilt of an object with respect to the Solar plane. Per squarewidget.com, Hipparchus created the celestial coordinate system we use today.

Note#2: https://theskylive.com/mars-tracker  This web site shows the astronomical position of Mars as seen from Earth
Todo: At next Aphelion/Perihelion record the Mars date as J00##### (and set Search term)
Perihelion occurred in 2024 at Ls 251 on Sol 485 - Earth Date 2024/05/08 Next: (estimated) 2026/03/06
Perihelion occurred in 2022 at Ls 251 on Sol 485 - Earth Date 2022/06/21 Next: (actual) 2024/05/08
Aphelion Earth Dates: Next: 2027/03/04 Earlier: 2025/04/16, 2023/05/30, 2021/07/12, 2019/08/25, 2017/10/07, 2015/11/20
Aphelion occurred at--- Ls 071 on Sol 152. 
Aphelion occurred near Ls 070 on Sol 153 (per http://www.planetary.org)

Note#3: The computations below are dependent upon both the computations provided by the reference web site and by accuracy of recording of the time of observations.  The calculations use tenths of hours.  The Sun Distance needs to be captured at the moment the time increments to a given tenth.

Note on data below: The figure quoted after distance is a rate of progress along the orbital path [exact meaning to be determined]
Minus prefix means Mars is approaching the Sun.  Plus prefix means Mars is moving away from the Sun.
The figure computed to the right of "Difference" is the rate of change of the distance to Sun. Increasing to Aphelion/Decreasing to Perihelion.

Aphelion of Mars is due March 04, 2027 Sol 151-152 Note velocity of Mars was 22.0 km/s nearing Aphelion (21.97 km/s)

===
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   210,224,644 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -123173 <= -4927 km/hour at 13.0 on 01/26 (time 13:00) (25.0 hours)
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   210,347,817 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -120012 <= -5001 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/25 (time 12:00) (24.0 hours)
Distance: Mars >> Sun per theskylive.com:   210,467,829 km [26.1 km/s] Difference is -121625 <= -5068 km/hour at 12.0 on 01/24 (time 12:00) (24.0 hours)
==*==*==*

Observation: The sky view is ** filled ** with objects and some have been recorded and given identification by humans or their robot assistants
And! ** All ** the location assignments are from the perspective of Earth.  The entire catalog needs to be adjusted when inter-stellar travel begins
The work that lies ahead for the astronomical community is daunting - there is work ahead for centuries
2022/01/19 - All current (existing) stellar catalogs are computed with reference to the Earth.  Another civilization would use it's planet as reference.
Perhaps a Milky Way frame of reference will become necessary at some point. The Earth is as good a Zero point as any, for humans.

=== Mars is in Regular movement as seen from Earth.
Next ahead:  Four galaxies across path and one micro-Boomer just above HIP 100378 RA 20h 21m 26.5s Day 0 well ahead
PGC 839330 RA 20h 17m above path and well ahead on Day 0 – Day 1 on edge of view
====*====*===

Zoom Out Capability As a general observation ... I've become increasingly interested in knowing what the larger view of the sky might be like.
The site: theskylive.com does a terrific job of matching the view from Earth towards Mars, against a background of actual astronomical plates.
I wish there were a way (or rather, I wish I ** knew ** about a way that may exist) to enlarge the view until the entire galaxy is in view (Zoom out)
Update 2022/12/08 TheSkyLive.com provides a large view of selected objects: Select [Major Bodies] Then select [Information] in the body of interest
Update 2022/12/08 Scroll down to (body) Position and Finder Charts. Field of view is 50x30 degrees.

Light travel in one second is (about) 300,000 kilometers. The distance covered in one minute is about 18,000,000 kilometers. Estimated light times:
1:18,2:36,3:54,4:72,5:90,6:108,7:126,8:144,9:162,10:180,11:198,12:216,13:234,14:252,15:270,16:288,17:306,18:324, 19:342,20:360,21:378,22:396

Light travel time today is between 19 and 20 minutes. Communications delay would be 38+ minutes round trip.

=== Time estimate will change below 342
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/26 356,834,511 (decreasing)
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/25 357,017,128 (decreasing)
Earth Distance in km: 2026/01/24 357,190,751 (decreasing)
<<#

Maximum Earth-Mars distance is estimated to be 401 million kilometers (both at apogee and opposite vs Sun) Minimum is about 56 million kilometers
Mars and Earth were in Opposition (Earth center)  in December of 2022.  The date coincided with a (very rare) occultation of Mars by the Moon.
Mars and Earth were in Conjunction (Sun center) in November of 2023.
Mars and Earth appear to have been as close as they will get in Year 36. 81,454,323 kilometers on J0036644 Time: 4.53 minutes - 9 minutes round trip

In his online interview with Dr. Zubrin at the 2020 Mars Conference, Elon Musk reminded the audience that communications with Mars will necessarily include an intermediary station to handle traffic when the Sun is between Mars and Earth.  Communications delays in that circumstance will increase due to the extra distance to be covered.  Mr. Musk indicated he expects such communication will be handled by laser.  Location would be optimum at poles of solar plane.

This web site offers an online model of the solar system: www.solarsystemscope.com  It requires Chrome 57, Firefox 52 or Safari 10.1. Viewed 2022/10/13: Opposition will occur some time in December of 2022.  Per earthsky.org, the date is December 8, 2022.

This web site offers an online orrery view of the Solar System: https://www.theplanetstoday.com/

===
Sol 428 is in Month 16 of a Proposed 24 month calendar. See Post 19 of Holidays topic for a summary.
Month  16 extends from Sol 419 through 446. <<== There are 28 days in Month 16. See post 82 of Holidays topic for current details.
Direct path to source: http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 57#p154257
Sol 428 is Tuesday in the Proposed Business calendar for Mars.   Sol 413 was a Skip Day on Mars. Next is near 450 of Year 38
##

The Next New Year's on Mars will occur when Solar Longitude reaches 360 degrees. Year 38 started November 12, 2024 on Earth
Per www.planetary.org Year 36 started 2021/02/07 on Earth. Mars Year 37 began 2022/12/27 on Earth.

Days of the Week Alignment:
Days of the week fall behind Earth due to the longer Sol, but they also change when Friday is omitted at the end of a Quarter
337 Earth days were observed to elapse in the 2020 weekday cycle. There were 7 week day transitions and 2 Quarter ends.
The next cycle began on the first Sol of the period of coincidence. The  alignment of weekdays interval is in the range: (310 - 337)
To find the first day of a period of coincidence: Set up: SearchTerm(colon) and (colon)Alignment and J0036* or J0037*
The most recent End-Of-Quarter change occurred: … The search specified above gave 11 pages of results.

For current weather on Mars see:

   ***https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/weather/***
   ***Insight's weather info has been suspended and now is directing to msl*** <<-- Insight's mission is over (2022)

https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/weather/

Per SpaceNut: Here is another web page by NASA containing the latest news releases

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/?page=0&per_ … ope=Latest

All forum members are invited to post significant events for this day.
Events of interest will be ON Mars, or relate to Mars. Examples are launches, landings, discoveries

Standard Month in Mars Business Calendar Copyright ® 2023 NewMars.com Mars Society
Su    Mo    Tu    We    Th    Fr    Sa
1        2      3      4      5      6      7
8        9    10     11    12    13    14
15    16    17     18    19    20    21
22    23    24     25    26    27    28

Recruiting text may be found at the bottom of this post:  http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 57#p154257
Copyright the Mars Society All Rights Reserved

Month 16 of 24: Fourth month of the 3rd Quarter and Second Half