The planet, which will make its closest approach to Earth since 2003, will be visible all night from across the country from 6.34 pm onwards.
Bengaluru: Mars will make its closest approach to Earth since 2003 Tuesday night. The planet will be extremely easy to spot in the night sky, if it remains clear.
However, those with telescopes hoping to catch surface features could be a little disappointed since a global dust storm has obscured the full surface of the planet. The actual point of closest approach will occur at 1.15 pm IST.
Mars will not be visible during the day, but it will still be significantly bright in the night.
Where to see
Mars will appear brightest in the Southern Hemisphere because of the Earth’s tilt with respect to it. But it can be seen from anywhere on the planet. In India, it will be visible from all over the country the entire night. It rises tonight at 6.34 pm in the east-southeast direction and will set in the morning at 5.45 am, in the west-southwest direction. It will be directly overhead around midnight, in the south direction.
Significance
In August of 2003, Mars made its closest approach to earth in 60,000 years, coming at just 56 million km away. This came very close to the theoretical minimum ever possible of Earth-Mars separation: 54.6 million km. It will be slightly farther away Tuesday night — at 57.6 million km. The next closest approach will be October 2020, but at 62.07 million km.
For optimal insertion of spacecraft into Martian orbit (or for landing on the planet), astronomers launch the craft such that the insertion takes place near about the closest approaches. Craft are typically launched just before the closest approach and reach the planet just after. This procedure drastically reduces the distance (and thus fuel consumption) a craft needs to cover and makes for the most optimal path taken.
A close approach technically happens every 26 months, which is when launches are typically scheduled.
Also read: How to grow crops on Mars if we were to live on it
Past launches
2001: Mars Odyssey
2003: Spirit and Opportunity, Mars Express
2005: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
2007 (4 August): Mars Phoenix Lander
2007 (27 September): Dawn
2011: Curiosity Rover, Fobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1 (failure)
2013: Mars Orbiter Mission, MAVEN
2016: ExoMars
2018: InSight
Future launches
2020: Mars 2020 (rover and helicopter from NASA); Hope Mars Mission (first orbiter from Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE); ExoMars 2020 (lander and rover from ESA); 2020 Chinese Mars mission (orbiter, lander, and rover) and Mars Terahertz Microsatellite (orbiter and lander from Japan)
2022: Mars Orbiter Mission -2
Dust storm
The planet has been engulfed in a global dust storm for the past month, obscuring any views and also creating communication issues for landers on its surface. Landers that run on solar power, like Phoenix, are currently in sleep mode. But Curiosity that runs on nuclear power has been functioning, beaming us with data about the storms.
Orbiters have been sending back regular pictures, keeping us updated. Scientists currently seem to think that the storm is starting to abate and might die down over the next few weeks.
Hoaxes
The internet is filled with hoaxes about the planet looking as big as the moon or causing blackouts and mental afflictions. Needless to say, none of them are true; Mars will simply appear like a bright star and will not be affecting our day-to-day lives.
Also read: Liquid water on Mars is no surprise but here’s why it makes the planet tougher to explore