Opposition of Mars : Mars, Earth, sun to line up Tuesday

Spectacular scene of Mars opposition with Sun will be seen on April 8 when Mars, Earth and Sun will be come in straight line with Earth in middle. The opposition event is expected to catch attention of sky watchers as the planet Mars will shine with a magnitude of 1.5, slightly less than that of Sirius, brightest star in night sky.

“Earth makes two trips around the sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip,” according to NASA. “So sometimes the two planets are on opposite sides of the sun, very far apart, and other times, Earth catches up with its neighbor and passes relatively close to it.”

This month, Earth and Mars are meanwhile at their closest for nearly 6 and a half years, appearing bigger and brighter than it has since December 2007, according to EarthSky.org. The moment that comes occurs April 14.

Look for Mars rising in the east around sunset, and moving toward the west throughout the night. It shines as a steady, reddish star.

Agencies/Canadajournal