Mars will be closest to Earth since 2005 this weekend and May 20 to May 22 will see the red planet at its brightest than its usual orbit. Though you would still be able to see the red planed with your naked eyes, a telescope would be advised to see its full glory.
Mars will also be joined with a couple of other cosmic objects in the sky. Saturn and another red star Antares will create a triangle along with Mars, and the Moon will also be seen rising near them.
If you are having a cloudy weather, you may not be able to enjoy the view, but you would still be able to see the red planet till mid June. The red planet will continue to remain within about 48 million miles from Earth until June 12.
Mars will be the closest to Earth on May 30, which is approximately 47.2 million miles from Earth. According to Mashable, if you are out spotting Mars, you will also see the International Space Station passing overhead during the same time. The Space Station will look like a bright star streaking across the sky as it completes a full orbit around the Earth every 90 minutes. The ISS randomly orbits around the Earth and does not move in the same path always.
Mashable reports that in 2018, Mars will be even closer to Earth at around 34.6 million miles from us, which will be a worthwhile watch.
Sky and Telescope reports that ‘despite its brilliance, Mars is not quite the brightest planet now in the evening sky. That's Jupiter, shining white high in the southwest. Jupiter is currently 10 times farther from us than Mars is, and it's also farther from the illuminating Sun. But it makes up for this greater distance with sheer size: Jupiter is 20 times larger in diameter than Mars.’
Images source: NASA, Sky and Telescope.
