Mars can be seen from Earth on Jan 29

New Delhi, Jan 28: If you missed the Jan 15 annular solar eclipse don't fret as another celestial treat is in store for the skygazers.

On Friday, Jan 29, Mars will make itself visible big and bright to the Earthlings.

Mars which takes about 687 days to complete one revolution around the Sun comes close to Earth once in two years.

The Red planet is also going to form an Opposition with Earth. An Opposition is said to take place when Earth lies directly between Mars and Sun.

The ideal time to witness the Opposition would be at 01:37 am on Friday, Jan 29 morning.

To view the planet, just point the telescope towards the eastern skies and one can see a distinct, reddish disc, said Director of Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators C B Devgun.

“Another interesting thing to look out at the time of opposition is that Mars goes through its retrograde motion and later returns to its regular prograde motion - making interesting loops in the sky," Nehru Planetarium Director N Rathnasree is quoted as saying in news reports.

The last time the planet was close to earth was in Dec 2007 and it is expected to come close to Earth next on Mar 5, 2012.

The next opposition of Mars will take place two years from now, on Mar 3, 2012.

OneIndia News