The time of opposition can occur as much as 8.5 days away from the closest approach. The distance at close approach varies between about 54 and about 103 million km due to the planets' elliptical orbits, which causes comparable variation in angular size.
Cosmos often simply means universe. But the word is generally used to suggest an orderly or harmonious universe, as it was originally used by Pythagoras in the 6th century B.C. Thus, a religious mystic may help put us in touch with the cosmos, and so may a physicist.
The Greek word The s simply refers to deity. In most cases the word is used for the one true God. The s is the Greek counterpart to the Hebrew word el or elohim, and both Hebrew and Greek words have comparable meanings. Today, our word theology (meaning the study of God) comes from theo, the root word of theos.