The planets · Mars
Mars at opposition, Feb 19, 2027
At opposition Mars is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun: it rises in the east as the Sun sets, is highest around midnight and sets at sunrise. It's the closest and brightest it gets this year, and it stays nearly as good for a few weeks either side.
- Opposition
- Feb 19, 2027, 3:44 PM UTC
- Closest to Earth
- Feb 20, 2027: 101.4 million km (63.0 million miles)
- Brightness
- magnitude -1.2
- Size through a telescope
- 13.8 arcseconds
- Where
- in Leo
Mars comes this close about every 26 months. Through a small telescope it shows a tiny disc, sometimes a white polar cap and dark markings. The closest oppositions (like 2003 and 2018) bring it under 60 million km.
From your city
When Mars rises that night where you are, and where it's highest.
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