Aug. 27, 2003: Mars zooms in

The Hubble Space Telescope snapped these two images of Mars about 11 hours apart, on Aug. 26 and 27, 2003, as it made its closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years. Credit: NASA, J. Bell (Cornell University), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute)

Key Takeaways:

• Mars is considered at opposition when it appears opposite the Sun from Earth's perspective.
• Mars oppositions occur approximately every two years, coinciding with Mars' closest approach to Earth for that orbital period.
• The proximity of Mars during opposition varies due to the elliptical nature of both planetary orbits.
• The closest approach of Mars to Earth in recorded history occurred on August 27, 2003, and is not expected to be surpassed until 2287 C.E.

Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store

When the Sun, Earth, and Mars all align so that from an earthly perspective, Mars is opposite the Sun, Mars is said to be at opposition. Mars oppositions happen about every other year, and at opposition – or rather, within a few days of it – Mars is also at its closest approach to Earth for that orbit. Thanks to the shape of the orbits involved, some of these close approaches are closer than others. And the closest of all are when Mars is at perihelion, or its nearest point to the Sun, at the same time Earth is at aphelion, or its farthest point from the Sun. When those circumstances happen at the same time as an opposition, you get an event like Aug. 27, 2003, when Mars was the closest it’s been to us for about 60,000 years. The last time Mars was that close was Sept. 24, 57617 B.C.E.; the 2003 record won’t be surpassed until 2287 C.E.