Mars
planet
A cold desert world with a thin atmosphere; iron oxides in its soil give it the reddish colour. Every 26 months Mars comes to opposition — by far the best time to observe it.
In brief
Where is Mars in the sky right now?
Mars moves against the stars, so there is no fixed table: enter your coordinates on this page and the map computes its current altitude and azimuth, plus rise and set times, for any moment you choose.
Is Mars visible to the naked eye?
Yes — it looks like a bright reddish star. A telescope is only needed for surface detail.
Data
- Type
- planet
- Equatorial radius
- 3,390 km
- Orbital period
- 687 days
- Rotation period
- 24.6 h
- Distance from Sun
- 1.52 AU
- Moons
- 2
Observing tip
Surface markings and the polar cap need a 150 mm telescope and only show near opposition, when the disc exceeds 15″.