Mars orbit, opposition and viewing opportunities
To understand how the distance between Mars and Earth differs so much, we need to look at their orbits. Neither Earth or Mars' orbit is perfectly circular, so the distance between the two is constantly changing. Think of the planets as two cars on a racetrack, with Earth on the inside lane moving faster than Mars — completing roughly two laps in the same time it takes Mars to complete one.
Mars opposition occurs when Earth"catches up" to Mars and is positioned between the sun and the Red Planet. During Mars oppositions, from Earth, we can see Mars rise in the east as the sun sets in the west, with the Red Planet being visible in our skies all night long. Such oppositions occur roughly every 26 months. Every 15 to 17 years we witness very close Mars oppositions when Earth passes between Mars and the sun during Mars' perihelion .
The perihelion and aphelion of Mars and Earth are inversely related. Theoretically nearest distance is 33.9 million miles while what was recorded in 2003 is 34.8 million miles.
I would guess approx 0.15 parsecs at the closest point?
Spoiler: over 37 miles!
When? It varies
Amazing views from S. Cali tonight with Mars right by the moon, looking like a moon of the moon.
So far that humans will never set food on the surface. Missed our window
✨51.911 Million miles🎯 I asked my nephew, he’s 12. No he didn’t have his phone or computer handy.😐 My nephew is smart today, we’ll see how he does tomorrow!😉✨
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