Martian New Year and Summer Solstice 2015: Happy New Year From Mars

Summary: The Martian New Year on June 18, coincides with Mars' northern hemisphere spring equinox and happens three days before Earth's 2015 summer solstice.

Mars Daily Global Surveyor Image from April 1999: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, Public Domain, via NASA

As the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet, after Mercury, in the Solar System, Mars requires the equivalent of about 687 Earth days to complete its orbit around the Sun. One Martian year equals 1.8809 Earth years, or 1 year 320 days 18.2 hours.

The Red Planet’s New Year coincides with an important Martian seasonal event, its northern hemisphere spring equinox. Reckoning of the Martian New Year started with the assignment of the Northern spring equinox of April 11, 1955, as Year One. According to this system, 2015 rings in Martian Year 33.

In 2015, the Martian New Year falls on Thursday, June 18, which occurs three days prior to an important terrestrial seasonal event, the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice.

A solstice (Latin: solstitium, “sun standing still”; from sol, “sun” + sistere, “to stop, to make stand still”) signifies the southernmost or northernmost latitude of distance away from the equator at which the sun appears directly overhead.

In the Northern Hemisphere the sun’s zenith, or highest point in the sky, occurs in June. The maximum tilting of the North Pole, at about 23.5 degrees toward the sun, takes place over the Tropic of Cancer, presently at 23°26’14.2” north latitude.

In the Southern Hemisphere the sun’s zenith occurs in December. The maximum tilting of the North Pole, at about minus 23.5 degrees away from the sun, takes place over the Tropic of Capricorn, presently at 23°26’14.2” south latitude.

The date for the northern summer solstice, which occurs oppositely as the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, varies annually between June 20 and June 22. In 2015, the northern summer solstice takes place Sunday, June 21, at 16:38 Coordinated Universal Time (12:38 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in North America).

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which currently is focusing on capabilities for launching a manned mission to Mars by the 2030s, is celebrating Mars Year 33 with a three day extravaganza of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) activities from Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21, at coordinates 40.6967 degrees north 80.0122 degrees west in downtown Mars, Pennsylvania.
On March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough in southern Butler County in the Keystone State’s west central region. The origin of the borough’s unusual name is unclear.

A popular year-round roadside attraction in Mars is a replica of a spaceship in the town park at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Pittsburgh Street, across from Mars National Bank. The small park also features the bell from the USS Mars (AFS-1), the borough's namesake laid down May 5, 1962, as one of seven Mars-class combat stores ships. On July 15, 2006, USS Mars was sunk about 54 nautical miles (62 miles; 100 kilometers) off the coast of Oahu as a Sink Exercise (SINKEX) target during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. Held biannually since 1971, RIMPAC is the world's largest international maritime exercise.

Future New Year dates for Mars include Friday, May 5, 2017; Saturday, March 23, 2019; and Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.

Mars New Year 33 Festival
Information concerning the 2015 festival, which represents a collaborative educational and community venture by NASA and Mars, Pennsylvania, should be directed to:
David E. Steitz, NASA Headquarters-Washington DC; phone: 202-358-1730; email: david.steitz@nasa.gov;
Sara DiBello, Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, Zelienople, Pennsylvania; phone: 724-234-4619; email: sara@visitbutlercounty.com

festival website: http://www.marsnewyear.com

Mars, Pennsylvania's spaceship: John Dawson (jmd41280), CC BY ND 2.0, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Mars, Pennsylvania's spaceship: John Dawson (jmd41280), CC BY ND 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmd41280/7237839384

Mars Daily Global Surveyor Image from April 1999: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, Public Domain, via NASA @ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02653

For further information:

Dickinson, David. “Ringing in the Martian New Year on Earth.” Sen > Solar System. June 18, 2015.
Available @ http://sen.com/news/ringing-in-the-martian-new-year-on-earth

“June Solstice: Longest and Shortest Day of the Year.” Time and Date > Sun & Moon.
Available @ http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html

“Mars Fact Sheet.” National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA > NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (NSSDCA) > Solar System Exploration > Lunar and Planetary Science > Planetary Fact Sheets.
Available @ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html

“NASA Celebrates Martian New Year in Mars, Pennsylvania.” National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA > All Topics A-Z > Journey to Mars. June 15, 2015; last updated June 19, 2015.
Available @ http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-celebrates-martian-new-year-in-mars-pennsylvania

“Plan Your Voyage to Downtown Mars, PA.” Mars New Year > Event map and schedule.
Available @ http://www.marsnewyear.com/uploads/2/5/4/5/25451242/june_5_mars_new_years_map_(4).pdf