Monday, October 05, 2020

This Week, Mars Is The Closest to Earth It'll Be For Another 15 Years

I was able to see it a couple of nights ago near the moon.  I could see the reddish tint.

https://www.sciencealert.com/mars-is-super-close-to-earth-right-now-here-s-how-to-watch


JACINTA BOWLER
5 OCTOBER 2020


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very soon, Mars is not just going to be close to our hearts, but also nearest to our actual planet -  a mere 62.1 million kilometres (38.6 million miles) away from Earth.

This is the closest it'll be for the next 15 years. And it means that stargazing is highly recommended as Mars will be bright, big and easy to see with or without a telescope.

We'd recommend checking out a sky chart to work out where Mars will be in the night sky in your location so you can plan for the best viewing.

But the good news is, it'll be in a region of the night sky with very few stars, and if you're lucky, you should also be able to catch Jupiter and Saturn shining brightly closer to the horizon.

The day we'll be the absolute closest to Mars is the 6 October, so get a move on.

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The closest approach we've ever recorded happened back in 2003, with just 55.7 million kilometres separating us with Mars. Two years ago, 2018 was pretty close too, with just 57.6 million kilometres (35.8 million miles) between us.

Unfortunately though, we're getting further and further out of alignment with our closest neighbour and won't start getting closer again until 2029, culminating in a very close approach in 2035 – only 56.9 million kilometres (35.4 million miles) apart – so start planning your 2035 Mars watching schedule well in advance!

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https://mars.nasa.gov/all-about-mars/night-sky/close-approach/


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