See Mars at its brightest
Mars is at its biggest and brightest this week and next. The red planet reaches perigee or its closest point to Earth in two years Wednesday, November 30. You best opportunity to see it is tonight through Friday evening with clouds expected to move in over the weekend.
It will continue to brighten slightly over the following week until it reaches opposition on Thursday, December 8. Opposition occurs when a planet is directly opposite the Sun in our sky.
To see Mars look east after dark, the constellation Orion can help point the way. Look for the three stars in Orion's belt. Just to the left in Orion's shoulder you'll find the slightly orangey star Betelgeuse. Above there you'll find more orangey Mars nestled between two bright(er) stars, Beta Tauri and Aldebaran.
While we'll likely still be under cloudy skies, the full Moon will pass so close to Mars in the sky that all of Canada and much of the rest of the United States will be created to a lunar occultation of Mars the evening of December 7.
Timings vary by location but for example, Mars will disappear behind the Moon at 6:30 pm in Los Angeles, about 90 minutes after moonrise. Mars will reemerge on the opposite side and hour later.
