Earth and Mars will come as close as they desire in Wednesday’s
wee hours during a historical event that has captivated the
attention of skywatchers around the globe. The two planets will
be separated by 34,646,418 million miles at 5:51 a.m. ET. Not
since the Neanderthals shared this planet with early humans have
the two worlds been so close. . . . WHERE TO LOOK Mars rises in
the southeast around sunset, your local time, shimmering like an
orange star so bright it could momentarily be mistaken for an
airliner on final approach. It outshines all other stars in the
sky. Around 1 a.m. Mars is due south and high in the sky. It
sets in the southwest at about sunrise. No equipment is
necessary to observe Mars closer than has any human in the past
59,619 years. But the best views are afforded through
telescopes, which can reveal surface markings, the south polar
ice cap and clouds. Page created in 0.305 seconds with 18
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