On July 31st, 2018 Mars will be the closest to the Earth than it’s been since 2003. It won’t pass this close to Earth again until September 15th, 2035. So mark the date, and be sure to check it out. In the days leading up to the event known as a Mars Close Approach, Mars will seem brighter in the night sky. Then on the last day of July, you’ll be able to see Mars without a telescope as it makes it’s pass.
At it’s closest point, Mars will be only 35.8 million miles away from the Earth. While that may seem like a great distance, it’ll actually be close enough for us Earthlings to view it without any type of magnification. This rare occurrence happens once every 15 to 17 years and won’t happen again until 2035. So mark your calendar. This will be a wondrous sight to see.
Mars reaches its highest point around midnight — about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, or one third of the distance between the horizon and overhead. Mars will be visible for much of the night.