Mars, at its closest point to Earth in 15 years

The Earth and Mars have not been as close as they have been for 15 years, providing space seekers with impressive and bright views of the red planet.

Astronomers from around the world pointed their telescopes to the sky on July 31, when Mars was 57.6 million kilometers from our planet.

"The Red Planet and Earth have not been this close since 2003 and will not be so close until 2035," NASA said.

A special point of view was obtained at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where it was possible to admire, at first glance, a bright orange dot in the sky, according to a live broadcast organized to commemorate the celestial event.

"March is invading us tonight," commented the director of the observatory, Ed Krupp. The closest point on Earth in the elliptical orbit of Mars was at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday, the US space agency announced.

Astronomers are still interested in the red planet's moving patterns to more accurately determine the best times to launch a spaceship.

When the Sun, the Earth and Mars are aligned, with our planet in the middle, a phenomenon called "opposition" occurs, which offers the clearest vision of Mars.

"Around the opposition phase, a planet is at its shortest distance from Earth in a given year," says NASA. The Earth and Mars are lined up in opposition about every two years.

"That's why most of NASA's missions on the Red Planet are done at least two years apart, to take into account the benefit of a longer distance. close."

No record has been broken this year. The minimum possible distance between Earth and Mars, of about 54.6 million kilometers, is rarely reached.

In 2003, Mars was "just" 55.7 million kilometers from Earth, "the closest for nearly 60,000 years," according to NASA.

The next time Mars will be as close to Earth as in 2003 it should not be before the year 2287.

For those who missed March this July 31, a consolation: the planet will remain visible in the starry sky over the next few months.