Keep an eye on the night sky as Mars moves in 'right next door'

Mars was at its closest alignment to Earth Tuesday and will still be visible for the next several nights

Calgary — Many Calgarians are taking note of an eye-catching colour in the night sky as Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in their mutual orbits around the sun.

“It just so happens that right now the sun and Earth and Mars are almost in a line.”  said Phil Langill, Director of the University of Calgary’s Rothney Astrophysical Observatory.

This alignment makes it so the planets Earth and Mars are about 62.07 million kilometers apart.

Although that may not sound very close, think again.

“As far as planets go," Langill said, "we’re right next door to each other.”

Because Mars is closer to the earth, it appears much brighter and bigger. Although technically Mars was at its closest on Tuesday Oct 6, Calgarians can still enjoy the view for the next several nights.

Langill said you don’t need to leave the city to see the planet. “Anywhere you can stand in or out of town that has a clear view of the sky that’s really all you need," he said.

If you want to see some detail or even catch a glimpse of Mars polar ice caps, a telescope or binoculars with high magnification will do the trick.

As far as finding it, Lagill said it’s simple.

“When the sun is setting in the west,  Mars is rising in the east," he said. " Keep an eye on where the sun’s going down and half an hour to an hour after it gets dark look in the opposite direction.”

Lagill said for the die-hards, “If you look at Mars for an hour through a telescope there will be a few moments where the atmosphere will get really still and you’ll get a beautiful sharp picture and you’ll be blown away.”