How bright is Mars?
The current visual magnitude of Mars is 1.43. Given its brightness, Mars should be visible to the naked eye, easy and bright under dark skies, might be more difficult from heavily light polluted areas.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Mars, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Mars: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Mars?: Key information on where to find Mars in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Mars is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Mars?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of Mars from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of Mars's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Mars's computed ephemeris.