Today, you can see Mars with naked eyes: Details here
July has already been a great month for stargazers, and it's set to end with a bang. On Tuesday, Mars will make its closest approach to Earth in 15 years which will see the two planets separated by a distance of just 57.6 million kilometers. The flyby will give viewers the brightest view of Mars since 2003. Notably, you will be able to see it with naked eyes on Tuesday night in India, starting 7:10 pm until sunrise.
Mars will repeat its 2003 performance in 2287
2003 saw Mars' closest approach to Earth in some 60,000 odd years. The Red Planet came within just 55.7 million kilometers of Earth - a flyby of such close proximity won't happen again till 2287, according to NASA.
The dust storm on Mars is good news for us
The Red Planet is currently engulfed by a massive dust storm - so much so that NASA's 14-year-old Opportunity rover can't recharge itself because there's not enough sunlight to reach its solar panels. While that's a downside for NASA, the good news for us, normal people, is that dust reflects sunlight, and the storm will make Mars appear even brighter during the flyby.
Mars will be as bright as an "airplane landing light"
"It's magnificent. It's as bright as an airplane landing light. Not quite as bright as Venus, but still because of the reddish, orange-ish-red color, you really can't miss it in the sky," said astronomer Harry Augensen from the Widener University in Pennsylvania.
Recently, a large subterranean lake was discovered on Mars
The Red Planet has captured humankind's imagination since time immemorial, with many dreaming of traversing the chasm that separates the two celestial bodies one day. Mars recently saw fresh interest after a 12-mile-wide lake was found under the Red Planet's southern ice cap by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. In Earth, microbes inhabit such lakes. Could it be the same for Mars?
