What’s that bright star in the sky after sunset? It’s Venus — probably. Now shining very brightly for a couple of hours after sunset, the “Evening Star” briefly dominates before sinking beneath the western horizon. However, there are two other bright planets in the east after sunset — and one of them is golden.
The golden planet is Mars. Visible below Jupiter and rising into view in the east as the sky darkens, the red planet appears to give off a golden glow for the rest of the night as it moves into the southern sky. Why is Mars so bright this week? Does it really look red? When was it occulted by the moon?
Here’s everything you need to know about Mars at opposition this week.
How To Find Mars In The Night Sky
Go outside after dark and look to the east. You’ll see Jupiter shining brightly in the constellation Tauris. Look below, and to the left of the giant planet, and in the constellation Cancer, you’ll see Mars, just beneath two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, in the constellation Gemini. Don’t confuse it with Betelgeuse, the brightest star in the constellation Orion, which is to the right of Mars.
Explained: Mars At Opposition
Mars is now at its brightest for 771 days. That’s because it has reached opposition, a time when Earth is precisely positioned between it and the sun. It sees the planet at its closest to Earth, so at its brightest, with its disk 100% illuminated by the sun. It will rise around sunset and be visible until sunrise.
How Bright And Close Will Mars Be?
During its 2025 opposition, Mars will reach –1.4 magnitude, which isn’t the very brightest it can get. That’s because all planets orbit the sun in a slight ellipse. As a consequence, some oppositions can see it closer to Earth and others farther away.
Its elliptical orbit is also why, technically, Mars was slightly closer to Earth on Sunday, Jan. 12, than tonight, at 59.7 million miles (96.1 million kilometers). That’s 0.6 astronomical units (Earth-sun distances) from Earth.
It may be one of the best objects in the night sky, but Mars is briefly outshone by about 25-to-1 by Venus, which is shining at -4.3 magnitude, as well as by Jupiter, at -2.5 magnitude.
Does Mars Really Look Red?
Although its surface is covered in iron oxide dust, the red planet appears to the naked eye to have a golden-reddish light rather than purely a red light. “A closer look reveals a richer palette that includes gold, salmon and peach,” says Bob King on Sky & Telescope, also reporting that other observers have seen it as “golden with a hint of rose,” salmon pink, terra cotta, orangey-gold and “like an ember.”
Why The Moon Occulted Mars This Week
Did you see the full “Wolf Moon” eat Mars? The first full moon of 2025 rose on Monday, Jan. 13 and, for observers in North America, blocked the planet Mars for around an hour between 8:44 p.m. EST and 00:52 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 14. It was, of course, an illusion, with Mars around 266 times farther away than the moon.
Sky Events Involving Mars To Look Out For In 2025
Mars will be involved in the current “planet parade” — with Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus ‚ through January and February. On Sunday, Feb. 9, Mars will be seen very close to the waxing gibbous moon in an event called conjunction by astronomers.
When is The Next Opposition Of Mars?
The next opposition of Mars will occur on Feb. 19, 2027, though anytime in the next couple of months is a great time to observe Mars.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
