The red planet will soon be closer to Earth than it has been in 11 years: On May 30, Mars will be about 46.8 million miles (75.3 million kilometers) from Earth. Yes, that's still a long way off, but sometimes Mars is 249 million miles (400 million kilometers) from Earth.
What does this close approach mean for sky watchers? It means Mars will appear bigger and brighter until June 3, according to NASA.
You don't need a telescope or binoculars to see Mars as it moves in for its close-up. In fact, you'll probably be able to find it without a star chart or an astronomy app.
To find out when Mars is visible in your neighborhood, you can go to timeanddate.com/astronomy and pop in your location. It will give a list of times that the sun, moon and planets rise and set.
