Beginning today, star gazers will be able to catch a glimpse of our neighboring planet Mars, which will be shining ten times brighter than the brightest start tonight. This is because Mars will be perfectly aligned with the sun and the earth on April 8, 2014.
A week later, Mars and Earth will be at its closest on April 14, 2014.
The two neighbor plants will get closer together and continue to converge over the week until it reaches the "Opposition of Mars" where Mars will appear on the opposite side of the sky from the sun. This rare event only occurs every 26 months.
Both planets have separate elliptical orbits around the sun, meaning that the distance between Earth and Mars in the vast universe can range from 401 million kilometers to 55 million kilometers.
The distance between Earth and Mars is currently shrinking at about 185 miles per minute.
When the planets reach "Opposition of Mars" on April 14, our neighbor planet will be clearly visible to star gazers, and will shine ten times brighter than the brightest star.
The best time to watch the "Opposition of Mars" will be at midnight, when nightfall will be at its darkest, making the Red Planet visible. Mars will be seen rising in the east as the sun sets in the west.
According to the NASA video below, star gazers will not have any trouble finding Mars on the night, when "The full moon will be gliding by the Red Planet in the constellation Virgo providing a can't-miss landmark in the midnight sky."
