A Barnard Ally Ups the Ante

Mars, at its September 28, 1909, opposition would approach closer to the Earth than it would again in either Lowell’s or Barnard’s lifetimes. In addition, it would be located just 4 degrees south of the Celestial Equator (which was far better than the 28 degrees south in 1907), and so much more favorably placed for observation at Northern Hemisphere observatories.