Red Planet set for close approach

Mars will not be this close until 2018 Mars is set for a close encounter with Earth, approaching to within 69.4 million km (43.1 million miles) of our planet in the early hours of Sunday. With good conditions and a lack of cloud, amateur astronomers will be able to get an unusually good look at Mars. The Red Planet will not swing this close to Earth for another 13 years. Small telescopes will be able to see Mars as a brilliant ball; observers with more powerful instruments will be able to see features on the surface. In August 2003, the Red Planet made an even closer approach to Earth, when it was at its nearest for about 60,000 years at a distance of 55.6 million km (34.6 million miles). But Mars will be higher in the sky than it was in 2003, meaning that the planet's light will not be affected as much by the Earth's atmosphere. This will make for better viewing in the northern hemisphere.