Live observing guide
Mars is easy to recognize by its orange color, but telescopic detail is best only when the planet is relatively close to Earth.
BEYOND TONIGHT'S VIEW
Know this planet
- A year
- 687 days
- One orbit around the Sun · Earth days
- One rotation
- 24.6 hours
- Relative to the stars, not sunrise to sunrise
- Diameter
- 6,792 km
- Measured across the equator
- Mass
- 6.42 × 1023 kg
- Total mass of the planet
- Mean temperature
- -65 °C
- Surface average; local temperatures vary
- Known moons
- 2
- Confirmed natural satellites
- Distance from Sun
- 228 million km
- Average distance along its orbit
- Gravity
- 3.7 m/s²
- Effective gravity at the equator
- Mean density
- 3,934 kg/m³
- Mass divided by volume
- Ring system
- No
- No known planetary rings
Rounded values. Moon counts checked on ; new discoveries can change the totals.
Color, polar-cap glimpses, and patient telescope observing
- A steady orange-red point
- A small bright polar cap in favorable seasons
- Subtle dark surface markings during steady air
Observing tips
What you can really see
Mars looks like an orange-red point to the naked eye; even a telescope can show only a tiny disc when it is far away.
Surface markings are a patient telescope challenge, not a view of rover landscapes.
Before you leave
- Set the telescope on a steady mount and give it time to adjust to the outdoor temperature.
- Choose the listed best time, when the planet is higher; avoid looking across warm roofs.
How to observe
- Locate Mars at low power and focus on its edge.
- Increase magnification only while the edge stays sharp.
- Wait for brief steady moments; if it stays blurred, return another night instead of adding more magnification.