EVERYLAUNCH // PLANETARY FIX
Mars is 202 million km away
That’s 1.35 astronomical units, and its light takes 11.2 minutes to reach you. The figure is worked out for right now. Mars’s distance from Earth keeps changing, so an average would be wrong on almost every day.
COMPUTED 2026-11-11 06:29:36Z · RECOMPUTED EVERY 15 MINUTES
Drag the globe to spin it, or use the view buttons. The shaded side is night, set from the real angle between the Sun, Mars and Earth. Surface features are drawn at their real coordinates. We don't work out which side faces Earth right now, so the side you see is just where you've turned it.
Right now
- DISTANCE
- 1.35 AU
- 202 million km · 125 million mi
- NEXT CLOSEST
- February 20, 2027
- 101 million km · 63 million mi, computed
- LIGHT TIME
- 11.2 min
- one way
- BRIGHTNESS
- +0.8
- naked eye
- APPARENT SIZE
- 6.9″
- 259× smaller than the Moon
- LIT
- 89%
- of the disc
- FROM THE SUN
- 85°
- angular separation
- IN THE SKY
- morning
- rises before the Sun
- SUN DISTANCE
- 1.60 AU
- its own orbit
What Mars is like
Cold and dry, with air less than 1% as thick as Earth's.
- TEMPERATURE
- -65 °CMean, at the surface
- PRESSURE
- 0.006 bar0.006 bar, about 1/160th of Earth's
- WINDS
- 97 km/hFastest sustained winds recorded
- ONE DAY
- 24.7 hoursSunrise to sunrise
- ATMOSPHERE
- 95% carbon dioxide, 2.8% nitrogen, 2% argon
PUBLISHED REFERENCE VALUES FROM NASA FACT SHEETS · NOT LIVE READINGS · NO SPACECRAFT REPORTS LIVE WEATHER FROM MARS
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Common questions
How far away is Mars right now?
Mars is 202 million kilometres (125 million miles) from Earth right now. That's 1.35 astronomical units, or 11 light-minutes. The figure keeps changing as both planets move. This page works it out fresh instead of quoting an average, because an average is wrong on almost every day.
When is Mars closest to Earth?
Mars's next closest approach is around February 20, 2027, at about 101 million kilometres (63 million miles). It's worked out to the nearest day from the same orbit model as the live figure on this page.
Can I see Mars tonight?
Yes, with the naked eye. Mars is at magnitude +0.8 and 85 degrees from the Sun. It's in the morning sky and rises before the Sun. Look for a point of light that doesn't twinkle.
How long does light take to reach us from Mars?
11.2 minutes right now. You always see Mars as it was that long ago. The delay changes as the distance does, and right now there are 202 million kilometres between us.
How hot is Mars?
-65°C on average, measured at the surface. 0.006 bar, about 1/160th of Earth's. That's a published reference value, not a live reading. No spacecraft sends live weather from Mars right now.
How big does Mars look from Earth?
6.9 arcseconds across right now. The full Moon is about 1,800 arcseconds, so Mars looks about 259 times smaller than the Moon. That's why it's just a point of light without a telescope.