Owing to the Mars Opposition the distance between the Red Planet and Earth is decreasing by 300 km every minute this month.
April brings with it a series of treats for sky gazers and astronomy enthusiasts. Only last week it was reported that a lunar eclipse will take place April 14 and last till April 15, coinciding with this year's Full Pink Moon. Now it has been revealed that on the same day, Mars and Earth will be the closest to each other.
Earth and Mars have separate, elliptical orbits around the sun, and the distance between the two planets ranges from a maximum of 401 million kilometers to a minimum of 55 million kilometers.
The opposition of Mars takes place every 26 months. According to a NASA report, due to this phenomenon, the distance between the two planets is shrinking by about 300 km every minute. The convergence will end mid April when the two celestial bodies will be only 92 million kilometers away. A 6+ month flight on NASA's speediest rockets can get you to the Red Planet.
Astronomers call this event an "opposition of Mars" because Mars and the sun are on opposite sides of the sky. Mars, Earth, and the sun will be arranged in a nearly-straight line April 8.
Researchers say that it won't be difficult to locate Mars April 15 because there will also be a full moon that day, known as the "Full Pink Moon." At the same time, an upcoming lunar eclipse will begin at 2 am EST with the moon appearing completely red at approximately 3 am. The occurrence is expected to end at about 4:25 am.
"You won't have any trouble finding Mars on this night," the narrator of a NASA video says. "The full moon will be gliding by the Red Planet in the constellation Virgo providing a can't-miss landmark in the midnight sky."
Check out the video below:
