Astronomers refer to Mars's position on August 27 as "perihelic opposition," which means that the planet is at a point in its orbit when it is both closest to the Sun and to the Earth.
An amateur astronomer with a good telescope should be able to spot features on Mars, including the South Polar Cap, which will be shrinking in the warmth of the late southern hemisphere Martian spring. Zubrin noted that continental-scale color variations will also be discernable.
Bright yellow areas on Mars indicate deserts covered by fine, windblown dust. The planet's dark markings are areas of bare rock or darker dust.
According to The Planetary Society, it is best to wait a few hours while Mars rises above the horizon before viewing it through a telescope. (To view objects on the horizon, sky watchers must peer through more pollution, haze, and other atmospheric turbulence. Less turbulence is encountered when viewing objects higher in the sky.)
Roy Britt, a science writer for the Web site Space.com, said that Mars is currently so bright that with a little concentration an amateur observer should be able to see the planet after the sun rises. "This might present their first opportunity to make a daytime planet sighting. It's something they won't forget," he said in a statement.
Exploring Mars
The close approach of Mars later this month happens to coincide with a wave of interest in the red planet by the space-science community. There are currently five spacecraft from various nations en route to Mars to study the planet's geology and probe for signs of life.
Zubrin, of the Mars Society, said that the coincidence of the close approach of Mars to Earth and the bevy of new spacecraft bound for the planet occurred because the close approach falls near the launch window for spacecraft, which opens for a few months every 26 months.
"This May to June was a good time to launch," he said.
According to Standish, the spacecraft would have all been launched to the red planet even if the close approach was not taking place. "There is a continuing high level of interest in Mars and the technology for exploring it is available," he said.
Scientists are interested in Mars because it is the most Earth-like planet in the solar system. It has mountains and valleys, polar ice caps, and dry river beds. Scientists are particularly keen to discern whether water, a key ingredient for life, exists or existed in the past on Mars.
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