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"The red planet and the Earth have not been so close since 2003, and will not be so close until 2035," NASA said.
Astronomers from all over the world set their telescopes in the sky on July 31, while the red planet was 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers).
A popular public observatory was the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where Mars was visible to the naked eye as a bright orange spot in the sky, according to a live broadcast held to mark the day. heavenly event.
"March is invading us tonight," said director Ed Krupp's observatory.
The closest point of Earth to the elliptical orbit of Mars arrived around 11:00 GMT Tuesday, NASA said.
Astronomers are interested in Mars' travel trajectory because it helps to decide the best times for the launch of the spacecraft.
When the Sun, the Earth and Mars are lined up, with the Earth seated in between, a phenomenon called "opposition" is indeed, giving the brightest view of Mars.
But also, "at the moment of opposition, a planet is at its closest distance from the Earth for a given year," explained the US Space Agency.
Since Earth and Mars line up in opposition every two years, "that is why most of NASA's missions on the red planet are separated from at least two years – to enjoy the closer distance. "
The approach of this year is not a record.
The minimum distance from Earth to Mars is about 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers), and is rarely reached.
The last closest approach was in 2003, when Mars was 34.6 million miles (55.7 million kilometers) from the Earth "and the closest in nearly 60,000 years," said the NASA.
Another close encounter like that of 2003 will not happen until the year 2287.
For those who missed the closest approach, do not worry. Mars will still be visible in the night sky for the next few months.
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