News – Watch for it: Mars will be the closest to Earth in over 30 years



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OUT OF THIS WORLD | What's New in Space – The Biggest News Descending from the Earth from Space

Scott Sutherland
Meteorologist / Scientific Editor

Friday, July 6, 2018, 5:32 PM – Have you seen? a little red light in the night sky, getting brighter and brighter, night by night? This is the planet Mars, and by the end of July, the red planet is approaching its closest crossing by Earth for decades!

Mars, the Fourth Planet of the Sun, will line up on Earth and the Sun on July 27, for an annual event known as the Opposition. That's when the Sun, Earth and Mars will be aligned perfectly, with Mars on the opposite side of the Sun's Earth. At that time, Mars will be up all night, from dusk till dawn, and will cross the sky with the complete Thunder Moon – the fullest Moon of the smallest apogee and the most distant of 2018. Coincidentally, it will also be the night of a total lunar eclipse, which will be the longest total lunar eclipse for the next century!

Four nights later – July 31 – Mars reaches its closest point to the Earth.



March to the nearest approach, a few days after his opposition. Credit: NASA GSVS

Mars will be only 57.6 million kilometers from Earth at this time.

It is the closest approach to Mars since 1945 while it was 55.7 million kilometers, and there will be no approaching closer until 2035 when it will reach 56.9 million km

Thus, it is the largest and brightest of Mars that we will see in about 32 years!



In 2018, Mars will appear the brightest from July 27 to July 30. His closest approach to Earth is July 31st. This is the point of the orbit of Mars when it comes closest to the Earth. Mars will be at a distance of 57.6 million kilometers. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

At the present time, Mars is experiencing a global dust storm, which is erasing some of the surface details of the planet.

Just look at the views that some see on Mars Now, weeks before the closest approach, however, it's still worth checking out Mars at this time.

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