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Everyone on Earth will be close to Mars this week, but the people of French Polynesia will be closest of all.
Science@NASA -- At 09:51 universal time (UT) on August 27th, Earth makes its closest approach to Mars in nearly 60,000 years. The two worlds, center-to-center, will be just 56 million kilometers apart -- a short distance on the scale of the solar system. The last people to come so close to Mars were Neanderthals.
Magazine articles, newspapers, and TV shows have touted the encounter for months. But they all omitted one detail: Which part of Earth?
Think about it: At the moment of closest approach one side of our planet will be closer to Mars than the other. Earth is about 12,756 km wide, so the difference -- one side vs. the other -- is trifling compared to the vast distance between the two worlds. But the fact remains that someone, somewhere will be the closest ever to Mars. Where?
The answer is Tahiti.
The islands of French Polynesia will be facing Mars at the precise moment the two planets converge. People living on Tahiti and nearby islands will therefore be the closest to Mars.
While Tahiti is facing toward the red planet, another spot on Earth diametrically opposite will be facing away: the Nubian Desert of Sudan. This is the place on Earth farthest from Mars.
Everyone on Earth will have a close encounter with Mars this Wednesday. Your personal encounter happens when Earth's rotation carries your hometown across the Mars-facing side of our planet. None of these encounters will be as close as the Tahitians' -- but they're all good.
The table below lists moments of closest approach for selected cities around the world. New York City, for instance, will be nearest to Mars at approximately 05:46 UT (1:46 EDT) on August 27th.
People living in Tahiti will get 3172 km closer to Mars on August 27th than people living in New York.
Close Encounters with Mars
time of closest approach on August 27th
-- New York, NY: 05:46 UT; 01:46 a.m. EDT
-- Fairbanks, AK: 10:08 UT; 02:08 a.m.
-- Los Angeles, CA: 08:23 UT; 01:23 a.m. PDT
-- Denver, CO: 07:37 UT; 01:37 a.m. MDT
-- Dallas, TX: 07:06 UT; 02:06 a.m. CDT
-- St. Louis, MO: 06:43 UT; 01:43 a.m. CDT
-- Chicago, IL: 06:35 UT; 01:35 a.m. CDT
-- Miami, FL: 06:04 UT; 02:04 a.m. EDT
-- Honolulu, HI: 10:47 UT; 00:47 a.m.
-- London, England: 01:34 UT; 01:34 a.m.
-- Brasilia, Brazil: 04:05 UT; 01:05 a.m.
-- Santiago, Chile: 05:32 UT; 01:32 a.m.
-- Athens, Greece: 23:56 UT (Aug. 26); 02:56 a.m. (Aug. 27)
-- Baghdad, Iraq: 20:15 UT (Aug. 27); 00:15 a.m. (Aug. 28)
-- New Delhi, India: 18:19 UT; 23:49 p.m.
-- Tokyo, Japan: 14:31 UT; 23:31 p.m. (Aug. 28)
-- Sydney, Australia: 13:50 UT; 23:50 p.m.
-- Pago Pago, Samoa: 11:34 UT; 00:34 a.m.
Find out where Mars will be in Your Sky Tonight
Science@NASA -- At 09:51 universal time (UT) on August 27th, Earth makes its closest approach to Mars in nearly 60,000 years. The two worlds, center-to-center, will be just 56 million kilometers apart -- a short distance on the scale of the solar system. The last people to come so close to Mars were Neanderthals.
Magazine articles, newspapers, and TV shows have touted the encounter for months. But they all omitted one detail: Which part of Earth?
Think about it: At the moment of closest approach one side of our planet will be closer to Mars than the other. Earth is about 12,756 km wide, so the difference -- one side vs. the other -- is trifling compared to the vast distance between the two worlds. But the fact remains that someone, somewhere will be the closest ever to Mars. Where?
The answer is Tahiti.
The islands of French Polynesia will be facing Mars at the precise moment the two planets converge. People living on Tahiti and nearby islands will therefore be the closest to Mars.
While Tahiti is facing toward the red planet, another spot on Earth diametrically opposite will be facing away: the Nubian Desert of Sudan. This is the place on Earth farthest from Mars.
Everyone on Earth will have a close encounter with Mars this Wednesday. Your personal encounter happens when Earth's rotation carries your hometown across the Mars-facing side of our planet. None of these encounters will be as close as the Tahitians' -- but they're all good.
The table below lists moments of closest approach for selected cities around the world. New York City, for instance, will be nearest to Mars at approximately 05:46 UT (1:46 EDT) on August 27th.
People living in Tahiti will get 3172 km closer to Mars on August 27th than people living in New York.
Close Encounters with Mars
time of closest approach on August 27th
-- New York, NY: 05:46 UT; 01:46 a.m. EDT
-- Fairbanks, AK: 10:08 UT; 02:08 a.m.
-- Los Angeles, CA: 08:23 UT; 01:23 a.m. PDT
-- Denver, CO: 07:37 UT; 01:37 a.m. MDT
-- Dallas, TX: 07:06 UT; 02:06 a.m. CDT
-- St. Louis, MO: 06:43 UT; 01:43 a.m. CDT
-- Chicago, IL: 06:35 UT; 01:35 a.m. CDT
-- Miami, FL: 06:04 UT; 02:04 a.m. EDT
-- Honolulu, HI: 10:47 UT; 00:47 a.m.
-- London, England: 01:34 UT; 01:34 a.m.
-- Brasilia, Brazil: 04:05 UT; 01:05 a.m.
-- Santiago, Chile: 05:32 UT; 01:32 a.m.
-- Athens, Greece: 23:56 UT (Aug. 26); 02:56 a.m. (Aug. 27)
-- Baghdad, Iraq: 20:15 UT (Aug. 27); 00:15 a.m. (Aug. 28)
-- New Delhi, India: 18:19 UT; 23:49 p.m.
-- Tokyo, Japan: 14:31 UT; 23:31 p.m. (Aug. 28)
-- Sydney, Australia: 13:50 UT; 23:50 p.m.
-- Pago Pago, Samoa: 11:34 UT; 00:34 a.m.
Find out where Mars will be in Your Sky Tonight
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