Main image via NASA , ABC
If you’re a fan of the big fiery red planet, you’re in luck because Mars will be at its closest to earth in years!
The Red Planet will be closest to earth in October and this makes it the closest it'll be in 15 years at 62,099,460 km (38,586,816 miles) away from earth!
Mars can be seen shining bright at night throughout October, but will be the closest to earth at 10:18pm on 6 October 2020.
The last time Mars made its closest approach was in 2003, where it was the closest in 60,000 years and the next time Mars will be close to earth will be in 2035, so don’t miss it!
Earth will also be in between Mars and the sun on 13 October too in the event called Mars’ opposition, where it will be directly on the opposite side of Earth from the sun!
Other planets will also be shining bright in the skies this month, with Venus shining brighter than Mars. Jupiter will also be the brightest in the skies once Mars fades and Saturn will also be visible!
With Mars taking 687 days to orbit around the sun and 365 days for earth, it’s rare to see the two planets so close to each other!
October also includes other spectacles in the skies, with the “Blue Moon” set to appear on 31 October. A Blue Moon is a second full moon to occur in a month and no, unfortunately it’s not actually blue.
Since humans are still a long way to inhabiting planet Mars, the closest we can do now is to at least see it shine bright in the skies!
Are you excited to see Mars this close to earth? Share this with your friends and family who love stargazing!
Info via Science Alert , CNN
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