Mars at its 'biggest and brightest': Skygazers prepare to catch sight tonight

New Delhi, Oct 13: Mars will appear bigger and brighter in the night sky on Tuesday, as the red planet lines up on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun.

The process, known as "opposition", happens around every 26 months. The last time this happened was 2018 and it is next set to occur in 2023.

For about a month or so now, Mars has been quite easy to see, as it's getting close to 'opposition' it's rising earlier, so it rises from sunset and then the red planet can be easily spotted as it gets up quite high into the sky.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explained, "During this opposition, Mars and Earth are closest to each other in their orbits. That means Mars is at its brightest."

This time Mars will orbit really close to the Earth at 38.6 million miles or 62.07 million km. The two planets will not be coming this close again till 2035.

The red planet can be seen as a bright orangey-red looking star with eyes, but it is recommended using at least a four-inch telescope with 24-millimetre magnification.
Mars will reportedly be "visible from dusk to dawn" and appear three times brighter than Sirius.
Space.com reported that the Red Planet will be rising in the east before 7 pm all of this week and it will be easy to spot on clear nights for weeks to come.