If you want to go enjoy the red planet, now is a great time. The planet was at its closest point to Earth on the night of November 30. However, as Sky and Telescope notes, “for all practical purposes” Mars is just as close to our eyes for about a week before and after November 30. rounded to the nearest tenth of an arcsecond, the planet will display the same diameter from November 28th to December 4th. Even after that, before its opposition on December 7, Mars will appear close to the same diameter. You have plenty of options for when you want to get out and see Mars looking stellar. It won’t be this close to Earth again until 2033, according to Sky and Telescope. The planet is currently brighter than most stars, rising in the east before sunset and sticking to the sky all night. Mars will still look bloated on the night of December 7th through the morning of December 8th, when the moon will hide the red planet. This means that Mars will disappear behind the moon before reappearing on the other side of the full moon. There are plenty of reasons to get out and look at Mars in early December.
