Mars Is Making Its Closest Approach To Earth In 15 Years; Here’s How To See It

Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, will be making its closest approach to Earth in 15 years later today, Space.com has reported.

According to the report, the red planet will be just 57.6 million kilometer (35.8 million miles) away from the Earth on Tuesday. This is set to happen between 1pm to 2pm Indian Standard Time ( at 3:50am US eastern time).

However, there is some bad news for those expecting to view the surface details of Mars, as a massive dust storm presently engulfing the planet. The storm is obscuring surface details normally visible through telescopes. The dust storm is so dense and massive that NASA's Opportunity rover can't recharge. Which means, not enough sunlight can reach the solar panels of the rover.

But, according to astronomer Harry Augensen, the good news about the dust is that it reflects sunlight, which makes for an even brighter red planet.

Mars is nearing the end of a 15-year orbital cycle that brings it closest to the Earth. For the next few months, Mars will look like a giant red star—brighter than Jupiter, the largest planet in our nine-planet solar system. At 12,750 km in diameter, the red planet is only slightly more than half as big as Earth.

The red planet came close to Earth the last time in 2003. The encounter was an exception, as the planets came closest in about 60,000 years.

The Los Angeles-based Griffith Observatory, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood, will broadcast the event live. Watch the live stream here.