Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Explore Wonders In The Skies With Dean Regas

NASA/The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA
The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of Mars in 2001, when the planet was 43 million miles from Earth. This month Mars will be within 36 million miles of Earth.

Later this month the planet Mars will make its closest approach to Earth in 15 years, appearing large and bright enough to be easily seen with the naked eye.

Mars will also be in "opposition," a period when it and the sun are on directly opposite sides of the Earth.

Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss the best way to view the Red Planet and the other wonders in the skies above us this month is Cincinnati Observatory Assistant Director Dean Regas.

Regas is also co-host of the PBS series Star Gazers and co-host of the Cincinnati Public Radio podcast, Looking Up. He just published his latest book, 100 Things to See in the Southern Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing.

He will lead a class Wednesday evening at the Cincinnati Observatory from 8 to 11 p.m., "To Mars and Beyond!" Cost is $15 per person, $12 for Observatory members.

Ohio's Stonelick State Park hosts The Friends of the Observatory's Dark Sky Viewing Site, which attracts hundreds of interested star gazers throughout the year. Free stargazes at Stonelick State Park are held only if skies are clear. The next stargaze takes place this Saturday, July 14.

Evening Sky Maps – two-page monthly guides to the night skies of the world – are available at Skymaps.com.

Tune into Cincinnati Edition July 11 starting at 1 p.m. to hear this segment. 

Maryanne Zeleznik is responsible for all news and public affairs programming at WVXU. She also hosts Morning Edition Monday through Friday.