But it is fun to try and exciting if you succeed. On the other hand, it is in no way as easy as Knobel makes it out to be. Nor would the planet, by any stretch of the imagination, be visible to a casual gaze — especially a half-hour prior to sunset. My first attempts at seeing Mars in daylight were somewhat casual.
This Sunday morning May 22 , Mars reaches opposition with the sun. This means that the Red Planet will be exactly opposite the sun in Earth's sky, making this weekend a great time to see it for yourself. In fact, Mars will soon be at its closest point to Earth in over a decade. Because Mars is directly opposite the sun in relation to Earth during opposition, Mars rises as the sun sets, and sets as the sun rises. This also means that Mars is visible all night long this weekend.
Mars at Opposition: See the Red Planet with Your Own Eyes This Weekend
Mars will be visible with the naked eye next month as it will be the closest its been to Earth for 15 years. Around July 31 Mars will be just Dean Regas, an astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory, told Mother Nature Network: "This Martian pass in July will be almost as good as the ultra-close opposition on
Simply go outside and look up, contact your local planetarium, or look for a star party near you. That is the point in Mars' orbit when it comes closest to Earth. Mars will be at a distance of Mars reaches its highest point around midnight -- about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, or one third of the distance between the horizon and overhead.