Mars to glow brightest tonight: Here’s how to watch it in Dubai

Hurry, dust off those binoculars and telescopes and meet me in the backyard for some serious celestial action tonight.

Tonight, on March 5, 2012, Mars will be the closest to Earth in two years, or 687 days to be precise, which is as long as the rusty red planet takes to once orbit the sun. There will be only (astronomically speaking) a little over 100 million kilometres between Earth and Mars, allowing it to look the biggest and shine the brightest it ever does – even to the naked eye.

With the weather acting down a little today (notice the missing sand storm?), this is a perfect opportunity for UAE’s skygazers for an impromptu outdoor camping activity to watch the minion Mars (the only planet smaller than it is Mercury) at its brightest best.

In fact, the whole of March promises to be special, celestially speaking, with the dance of the planets and a gathering of asteroids. Even as Mars makes its closest approach of the year (two, actually) tonight, Venus and Jupiter continue to get nearer.

Click here for some strange Mars facts you might not know about