Where is Mars tonight?
Mars is in the morning sky, in the constellation Leo. Look for it before sunrise, or late at night once it has risen.
- Brightness
- an obvious bright pointmagnitude 0.8
- Constellation
- Leo
- Distance from Earth
- 203 million kmits light left 11 minutes ago
- Opposition
- 19 February 2027
How to recognise Mars
The red planet. Mars changes brightness more than any other planet, from unremarkable to blazing, on a cycle of about 26 months. Look for the colour. Mars is a steady point with a distinct rusty-orange tint. The stars Antares and Aldebaran look similar, but they twinkle and Mars doesn't.
Mars is at its best around opposition, when Earth passes between it and the Sun and it stays up all night. Opposition is the night Mars sits opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises at sunset, stays up all night and is at its closest and brightest.