On Tuesday evening, Dec. 18th, Mars makes its closest approach to Earth until the year 2016. At a distance of only 55 million miles, Mars outshines every star in the night sky (it is slightly brighter than Sirius) and draws attention to itself with its distinctive red color.
This is not to be confused with the famous Mars Hoax that claims that Mars is as close as it will ever be. That happened back in 2003, and it will not be that close again until 2018. Still, Mars is spectacular right now and worth a look!!
Take a look at this amazing movie from the meteor shower last week too!