JAMES:
ITS BEEN A LITTLE

OVER 2 YEARS...

DEAN:
THE RED PLANET MARS WILL BE AT OPPOSITION!

JAMES:
WHEN MARS IS AT OPPOSITION,

IT'S AT ITS CLOSEST TO US AND THEREFORE IT'S
AT IT'S BIGGEST AND BRIGHTEST.

DEAN:
EVERY 26 MONTHS,

MARS AND EARTH LINE UP ON THE SAME SIDE OF
THE SUN.

BECAUSE MARS ORBIT IS MORE ELLIPTICAL
THAN OURS,

THERE ARE TIMES WHERE WE CAN BE MUCH CLOSER
TO MARS THAN AT OTHERS.

JAMES:
FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1877, 1971 AND 2003,

ALL THOSE OPPOSITIONS OCCURRED BETWEEN AUGUST
AND SEPTEMBER, AND MARS WAS VERY CLOSE TO

US.

DEAN:
BUT IN 1965, 1997 AND 2012, THOSE OPPOSITIONS

OCCURRED IN MARCH AND MARS WAS MUCH FURTHER
AWAY FROM US.

BUT GET READY.

NEXT WEEK,
ON JULY 27TH, MARS WILL BE AT OPPOSITION AGAIN

AND IT'LL BE A GOOD ONE.

SO MAKE SURE YOU SEE IT AS YOU

BOTH:
KEEP LOOKING UP!