If you've been looking up a lot, then you've probably noticed that Mars has been getting brighter and brighter. No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. And, it's going to get even brighter this week.
That's because, on Oct. 6, Mars will be 62 million kilometers away from Earth. It will be unusually close, and you'll get to see all of its dazzling yellow-orange glow.
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It's common knowledge that Earth takes 365 days to orbit around the sun, but what's less known is that Mars takes 687 days to do the same. Every 26 months and some days, however, Earth catches up and, as a bonus, we see Mars better.
With Mars being our second closest cosmic cousin, you'd think this wouldn't be that big of a deal. But, this is the last time the planet will be this close for the next 15 years. In fact, the last time the same phenomenon happened was 2003... ah, better days.
How close will it be actually? Well, you can easily see Mars with or without a telescope. The only thing you need to do is to make sure you check a sky chart to figure out when it will be in your area.