Lunar eclipse July 2018: Mars approaches closest to the Earth in 15 years

Cape Canaveral (United States): Now is the time to catch Mars in the night sky. Next week, the red planet will make its closest approach to Earth in 15 years.

The two planets will be 57.6 million kilometers apart next Tuesday. And Friday, March will be in opposition. This means that Mars and the sun will be exactly on opposite sides of the Earth. That same day, parts of the world will see a total lunar eclipse.

Mars is already brighter than usual and will shine even more and will appear bigger as Tuesday approaches. Astronomers are waiting for a good viewing until early August.
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However, a huge dust storm engulfing Mars hides surface details normally visible through telescopes. The Martian atmosphere is so full of dust that NASA's Rover Opportunity can not recharge enough sunlight to reach its solar panels and so it's quiet since June 10th. Controllers do not expect to hear about Opportunity until 14 years old. the storm calms down, and maybe not even then.
The good news about all Martian dust is that it reflects sunlight, making the red planet even brighter, says Widener University astronomer, Harry Augensen

"It's beautiful." Not quite as bright as Venus, but still because of the reddish, orange-reddish color, you really can not miss it in the sky. "In 2003, Mars and Earth were the closest in 60 000 years 55.7 million kilometers.Nasa said that it will not happen again before 2287.

The next approach, meanwhile, in 2020, will be 62 million kilometers, According to NASA, observatories across the United States are organizing Mars viewing events next week.The Los Angeles Griffith Observatory will provide a live online view of Mars on Tuesday

The Lunar Eclipse Friday's total will be visible in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, the Earth and the Moon align perfectly, projecting the Earth's shadow onto the Moon. Friday will be long, one hour and 43 minutes.

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