The Red Planet is back, and it will be the closest it’s ever been in 15 years! From July 27 to July 30, Mars will appear at its brightest in our night sky.
Every 15 to 17 years, Mars makes a close approach to Earth, making the iron rusting planet easier to see with the naked eye. A close approach occurs when Earth and Mars come exceptionally close to one another in their respective orbits. Mars is at the point of its orbit where it will be at “opposition” – the point at which Mars, Earth and the Sun are aligned. This alignment occurs once every two years and the placement of the planets causes Mars to appear exactly opposite of the Sun in our sky. This year, opposition will occur on July 27, the same day where half of the Earth will witness the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century. People residing in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia will have the opportunity to view the total eclipse.
For those who will not have the opportunity to watch the lunar eclipse, Mars will be here at “Full Mars!” On July 31 at 3:50 a.m. EDT Mars’s close approach will occur with Mars appearing the brightest it’s been since 2003. According to NASA, in 2003 Mars was about 34.7 million miles away from Earth and this year it will be approximately 35.8 million miles away. Stargazers will get to see “Full Mars,” the full day side of the Red Planet, as it will be brighter than Jupiter and 3 times brighter than the brightest star in our night sky.
By mid-August, Mars will appear dimmer as it travels farther away from Earth, but you can expect to see the planet at its brightest again in 2035 on its next close approach.
Note: Mars will not appear as large as a full moon.
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