Data for the Great Perihelic Opposition, 2003

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 Ls = 180 deg Ls = 270 deg Ls = 0 deg

N summer solstice N autumnal equinox N winter solstice N spring equinox

S winter solstice S spring equinox S summer solstice S autumnal equinox

2002 November 3 2003 May 5 2003 September 29 2004 March 5