Mars has been part of my story for a long time. Back in 2012, I told you about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, then about the landing of Curiosity. Since then, I have seen the Red Planet much closer: the Sama Airship has set down there more than once, and I still find red dust in places I would rather not mention. Here is a souvenir from one of those stops.
This month, you don’t need an airship to see it. On January 16, 2025, Mars reaches opposition: the Earth passes between the Sun and Mars, so the planet rises at sunset, stays up all night and shines at its brightest. Oppositions come back roughly every 26 months. A few days earlier, on January 12, Mars is also at its closest to Earth for this cycle, about 96 million kilometers away.
This is not one of the great oppositions, when Mars is near its closest point to the Sun and looks huge in a telescope. The next ones come in 2033 and 2035. But it is still a fine sight: a steady orange point of light in the constellation Gemini, not far from Castor and Pollux. With a small telescope and a calm night, you may even catch a polar cap.
MetaSama likes to remind me that, between a good opposition and a great one, the difference is only a few million kilometers. For me, it is a few days of travel. For you, it is just a matter of looking up.