National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Photo: Mars Closest to Earth This Week; Best View Until 2016


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A graphic shows the last seven times Mars neared Earth while in opposition to the sun. When Earth is in between Mars and the sun, stargazers will see the red planet in full phase, similar to a full moon.

The images of Mars show the planet's relative size as it appeared each year to the Hubble Space Telescope while in opposition.

On December 18, 2007, Mars will be a mere 55 million miles away while in opposition—the nearest it will be to our world until 2016, astronomers say.

Image courtesy NASA, ESA and Z. Levay (STScI)