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Mars has been the brightest since July 7 and will continue to be until September 7
Mars and Earth will be closest to each other on July 31 for the first time in 15 years their historically close approach in 2003. Mars will be at a distance of 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers) from Earth. Mars reaches its peak around midnight – about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, a third of the distance between the horizon and the clouds. Mars will be visible for most of the night. Mars was closer in 2003 than in some 60,000 years, and it is now slightly farther away from Earth than before.
The close encounter of July 31 between the two planets is the closest up to the time of the Martian opposition on September 15. 2035. During the opposition, Mars and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. From our perspective on our rotating world, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. Then, after spending all night in the sky, Mars lies to the west as the sun rises to the east. Since Mars and the sun appear on the opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in "opposition". If the Earth and Mars were following perfectly circular orbits, the opposition would be as close as the two planets could be. In mid-August, Mars will become weaker while Mars and the Earth come together. will move one from the other in their orbits around the Sun. Mars was the brightest of July 7 and will continue to be until September 7. It shines more than Jupiter, which usually shines the brightest in the sky after Venus.
The longest lunar eclipse coincided with the closest approach to Mars on Friday to offer skygazers an exciting double astronomical bill.
Mars can be seen at the naked eye in the evening. If you miss a preview of the red planet this time, you can see it up close on October 6, 2020.
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