Mars is the closest to the Earth That's been 15 years Here's how to see it

July is "the summer of March", so it's normal for the red planet to end the month with its most spectacular show – a close encounter.

On July 31, Mars will be 35.8 million miles from the Earth, the closest distance to Earth for 15 years

What is the approach of Mars Close?

Close The approach is the point of the orbit of Mars where it is closest to the Earth. The minimum distance between Earth and Mars is about 33.9 million miles. In 2003, Mars made its closest approach to Earth – 34.6 million miles – in nearly 60,000 years. A close encounter with the Earth will not happen again until the year 2287, but there will be another close encounter with Mars in October 2020, when the distance between Mars and Earth will be 38.6 million miles.

Why is this happening?

The distance between Earth and Mars changes throughout the year because of their elliptical trajectories. In addition, the gravitational attraction of the planets in our solar system constantly affects the shape of their orbits, displacing the orbit of Mars even closer to Earth.

Although Mars has reached its nearest point in 15 years 3h50 ET, there is no need to worry. The red planet will continue to appear at its peak until early August, so you can enjoy the close encounter of Mars with the Earth for days.

Here's how to get the best views of Mars's close encounter with Earth

Mars seen from low latitudes and the southern hemisphere will have the clearest view of the red planet, Mars will be visible in the whole world.

Fortunately, you can see Mars easily at the naked eye. Add a telescope and you can see a detailed view of the surface of the planet and its polar ice caps.

The red planet will appear super bright with an orange-red hue making it almost impossible to miss the night sky. Mars looks like a bright red star in the east every evening and in the west before dawn.

Mars reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight, about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, a third of the distance between For two months between July 7 and September 7, Mars will shine again more, ahead of Jupiter and winning the title of the fourth most brilliant object of the Earth's sky after Venus, the moon and the sun. . As sunsets begin to climb even earlier in the late summer and early fall, viewers will be able to see the planet higher up in the evening sky.

As for beginning astronomers, they may have a little trouble. Call, NASA broadcast live Mars's close encounter with Earth Live from the Griffith Observatory.