Planet Mars will get closest to the Earth today (31) in 15 years with only 57.6 million kilometers between the two planets, stated Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Director of Astronomy and Space Science Unit in University of Colombo.
Since July 27, 2018 planet Mars had started approaching the Earth gradually.
This rare phenomenon can be observed with the naked eye tonight and Mars will be the brightest celestial object in the night sky after the Moon.
Mars, considered the second smallest planet in the Solar System, is popular among the astronomers as the Red Planet, and as the only planet most likely to host life apart from the Earth.
While orbiting the Sun, the Earth and Mars approach each other at the closest points of their elliptical orbits. Accordingly, both planets were the closest 15 years ago, in 2003, with only 56 million kilometers in between.
However, planet Mars’ approach of the Earth this year is farther than it was on 2003.
Mars got closest to the Earth in 2003 approximately 60,000 years after its previous approach.
A celestial phenomenon of this sort is expected to occur again in the year 2287.
The minimum distance that the planet Mars can reach the Earth is 54 million kilometers.
