On July 27, 2018, Mars will make an exceptionally close pass by Earth, coming within 57.6 million km of our planet. According to NASA, the red planet reaches its highest point around midnight, and will be visible for most of the night, appearing at its “biggest and brightest” since 2003. The next time Mars will be this close is October 6, 2020.
The Super Blue Blood Moon is seen over the Bay of Bengal in Puri. File
Also on July 27, sky-watchers across Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia will be able to see the longest “blood moon” eclipse of the century. Total lunar eclipses are sometimes called blood moons because of the reddish-orange glow the moon takes on. NASA says the eclipse will last 1 hour and 43 minutes. Pictures show a total lunar eclipse and a blood moon seen from the Puri beach on the east coast off the Bay of Bengal on January 31, and a photograph of Mars taken by the Mars Colour Camera on India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft.
