Mars
Mars is currently in the constellation of Pisces. The current Right Ascension of Mars is 01h 32m 57s and the Declination is +05° 18’ 13” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current magnitude of Mars is -1.41 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Mars [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- Mars is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the West-South-West direction at an altitude of 18° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, Mars is visible to the naked eye, even from highly light polluted areas.
- See also Mars rise and set times.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Additional information about Mars available on TheSkyLive:
Mars Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Mars finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Mars is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Mars?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Mars in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Mars Distance from Earth
The distance of Mars from Earth is currently 85,160,926 kilometers, equivalent to 0.569266 Astronomical Units. Light takes 4 minutes and 44.0663 seconds to travel from Mars and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Mars from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of Mars from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Mars to Earth
Between January 1900 and January 2100 the closest approach of Mars to Earth happens on Wed Aug 27 2003 at a distance of 0.37273052 Astronomical Units, or 55,759,692 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Mars brightness
The current visual magnitude of Mars is -1.41.
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.
Mars rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Mars rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Mars touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Mars Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Mars. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 6779 km | 0.5320 |
| Mass | 0.641693 x 1024 kg | 0.1074 |
| Density | 3.934 gr/cm3 | 0.7135 |
| Escape Velocity | 5.03 km/s | 0.4495 |
| Sideral Rotation | 24.6230 hours | 1.0288 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -1.52 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.15 |
Mars 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Mars computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Mars in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Apparent DiameterDiameter | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Aug 08 | 01h 23m 02s | +04° 27’ 02” | -1.24 | 15.4” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 09 | 01h 24m 29s | +04° 34’ 40” | -1.26 | 15.6” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 10 | 01h 25m 54s | +04° 42’ 06” | -1.28 | 15.7” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 11 | 01h 27m 19s | +04° 49’ 18” | -1.30 | 15.8” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 12 | 01h 28m 41s | +04° 56’ 21” | -1.33 | 16.0” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 13 | 01h 30m 00s | +05° 03’ 11” | -1.35 | 16.1” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 14 | 01h 31m 18s | +05° 09’ 47” | -1.37 | 16.2” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 15 | 01h 32m 32s | +05° 16’ 13” | -1.40 | 16.4” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 16 | 01h 33m 46s | +05° 22’ 26” | -1.42 | 16.5” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 17 | 01h 34m 57s | +05° 28’ 24” | -1.44 | 16.7” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 18 | 01h 36m 05s | +05° 34’ 12” | -1.47 | 16.8” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 19 | 01h 37m 10s | +05° 39’ 46” | -1.49 | 16.9” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 20 | 01h 38m 14s | +05° 45’ 06” | -1.51 | 17.1” | Pisces |
| 2020 Aug 21 | 01h 39m 15s | +05° 50’ 13” | -1.54 | 17.2” | Pisces |