Closest you can get to Mars

Planet Mars will be closer to Earth this month than its has been at any time in nearly 60,000 years and will ever be again until year 2287.

According to a CNN report, Just 34.6 million miles of space will separate the two planets on August 27.

Courtsy: NASA

NASA, the European Space Agency, and Japan are all sending spacecraft to Mars this year. It's a good time to go.

Already, Mars has begun to loom large in the late evening sky. The planet will shine brighter than any other star for the next couple of weeks.

"Mars you can't miss, it's bright and red," said Myles Standish, an astronomer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

All you need to get up and close to Mars is a pair of binoculars or a telescope.

Planetariums around the world plan Mars-gazing parties beginning the evening of August 26.

A report on the official Web site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Mars is a morning planet now. You have to wake up early to see it. Soon, though, it will be more conveniently placed.

By mid-July Mars will rise in the east around 11 pm local time. In late August, it will appear as soon as the sun sets. It won't be long before everyone can see Mars at a civilised hour.