Mars is invading Earth!

Los Angeles : Earth’s neighbouring planet, Mars, is closer than it has been in the past 15 years, offering unusually bright views of the Red Planet’s auburn hues.

“The Red Planet and Earth haven’t been this close since 2003, and won’t be again until 2035,” NASA said. Astronomers around the world trained their telescopes on the sky on July 31, when the Red Planet was 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers) away. One popular public viewing spot was the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where Mars was visible with the naked eye as a bright orange spot in the sky, according to a live broadcast held to mark the celestial event.

“Mars is invading us tonight,” said observatory director Ed Krupp. When the Sun, Eart and Mars are lined up, with Earth sitting in between, a phenomenon called “opposition” is in effect, giving the brightest view of Mars. This year’s close approach is not a record-breaker.