Mars To Come Close To The Earth

The distance between the Earth and Mars will be at its closest in eleven years on May 30. On this date, Mars will be around 75.3 million kilometers or 46.8 million miles from Earth, and people will have the opportunity to look at it closely without the aid of a telescope. While the distance is still far, there are instances when the distance between the two planets is around 400 million kilometers or 249 million miles.

NASA said when the Red Planet comes this close to the Earth it will appear brighter and bigger until June 3. People will be able to find the planet without using an astronomy app or a star chart at this distance.

NASA added that the best time for people in the United States to search for the planet when it comes close to Earth will be midnight Eastern time. The planet will appear to be the brightest star along the southeastern sky and it will have a reddish color.

Mars To Come Close To The Earth - image credit: en.wikipedia.org

People can check timeanddate.com/astronomy to see when the planet will become visible in their area. Aside from providing information about Mars, the web page will also show the times when the planets, sun and moon will rise and set. Online tools will also be available through Astronomy and Sky & Telescope.com allowing people to monitor what happens in the night sky.

Once people see Mars under the morning sky, they will have a better view of the Red Planet. People are also advised to check with their local astronomy club to have the opportunity to use a telescope to see the planet.

The distance between the two planets is expected to be closer on July 31, 2018, when the two planets will be around 35.8 million miles apart. The two planets also came close in August 2003 when they were only 55,758,006 kilometers or 34,646,418 miles away from each other. NASA said this was the closest the two planets have been with each other in nearly 60,000 years.

After 2018, the next time Mars and the Earth will come close to each other will be on August 28, 2287.

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday May 24 2016, 11:36 AM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0