July 30 - Mars Closest

July 30 Mars Closest by:

Tonight … Mars closest to Earth Closer than since 2003! Even closer now than when we passed between Mars and the sun last Friday. How that can happen, and the prospects for viewing Mars through a telescope now. The cycle of close and far Mars oppositions Like so much in the sky, very close approaches of Mars happen in cycles. Become a Mars guru, here. An easier way to search for life on Europa Jupiter's moon Europa is a promising place to search for evidence of alien life. New research provides insights on what might be the best - and easiest - way to search. 12 shark facts that might surprise you #5 If you flip a shark over, it goes into a trance.

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Tonight … Mars closest to Earth Mars is 35.78 million miles (57.59 million km) away at its closest on July 31 at 08:00 UTC.  That's before sunrise Tuesday at most North American time zones, and at 10 p.m. tonight Hawaiian Time.

The cycle of close and far Mars oppositions Extra-close oppositions of Mars happen every 15 to 17 years, when we pass between Mars and the sun around the time of its perihelion (closest point to the sun in orbit). Illustration via ClassicalAstronomy.com. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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