Tuesday morning at 10 AM Mars officially came the closest to Earth that it will be for the next 15 years. It was slightly less than 38.6 million miles away. September 2035 is the next time we will come within that distance of Mars.
You can see Mars with just your eyes right now! If you're looking in the evening, look east. If you look before dawn, look west to find the object that looks like a red/orange star. The only things in the sky brighter than Mars right now are the sun, moon, and Venus, but Venus only comes up in the pre-dawn sky and doesn't appear red.
Image Credit: NASA
Believe it or not, Mars being so close is not the only reason it looks brighter right now. One week from this event, on October 13, Mars will be in opposition. That's the day when Earth will be between Mars and the sun, but the way the orbits are shaped, Earth will be closer to Mars today than next week. You might think everything being in a line at opposition would mean that would be our closest point to Mars, but remember we are working in a three dimensional plane here (see the image below). Clear as mud? That's ok - the bottom line is Mars is bright right now and easy to spot either in the night sky or before dawn.
Image Credit: NASA
After October 13, Mars will start to appear less bright as it moves farther away in its orbit, so get outside and check it out! The weather will be perfect tonight or tomorrow morning to spot the red planet. The sky will be clear and the air won't be quite as cold tonight/tomorrow as it has been the last two mornings.
If you capture a picture of the red planet or of your people looking for it, send it to me on social media! You can find links to my pages at the top of this post. I would love to share your experience with our viewers, too.
