If we get a clear night over the weekend and into the middle of June, we’ll be able to see Mars without the use of a telescope.
The red planet is closer than it has been for over ten years, and is brighter as a result.
Anyone using a low-powered telescope will be able to see the Mars surface from Saturday night until around the middle of June, but even those just using their eyes should be able to see it (clouds permitting).
“Just look southeast after the end of twilight, and you can’t miss it,” Alan MacRobert, who is the senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, said in a statement.
Pic via Mashable/Sky & Telescope magazine
Mars will be visible in a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares.
The full moon, according to Mashable, will rise near them this weekend.
“Look below Mars by about the width of your fist at arm’s length,” MacRobert added. “If Antares is still too low, wait a while and everything will rise higher. Antares is fainter but it also has a fiery color.”
