Opposition date : 2003 August 28

Dec : –15 deg 49 min (authority: Jean Meeus)
 

At opposition, Ls = 249.5 deg

– effectively that of perihelion (Ls = 250 deg)

De : –18.4 (latitude of sub-Earth point on Mars)

Ds : –23.1 (latitude of subsolar point on Mars)

Closest approach to Earth : 2003 August 27

Maximum disk diameter : 25.11 arcsec

Distance at closest approach : 0.37272 AU (55.76 million km)

– some 20,000 km closer than the closest opposition of the twentieth

century (1924) and the closest approach since telescopic records began

Solar conjunction : 2002 April 18

Seasons (authority : Jean Meeus)

Ls = 90 deg         N summer solstice         S winter solstice            2002 November 3

Ls = 180 deg       N autumnal equinox       S spring equinox            2003 May 5

Ls = 270 deg       N winter solstice            S summer solstice         2003 September 29

Ls = 0 deg           N spring equinox            S autumnal equinox       2004 March 5