At 20:21 GMT-4 it is 101.4 million km away and 13.8" across, high in Leo all night. Georgetown, Guyana · times in GMT-4.
Key dates
| Event | Date | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrograde begins | Sun 10 Jan 2027 | 09:01 | Mars appears to stand still, then drifts west |
| Opposition | Fri 19 Feb 2027 | 11:52 | Opposite the Sun in the sky |
| Closest approach | Fri 19 Feb 2027 | 20:21 | 101.4 million km, 13.81" across |
| Retrograde ends | Thu 1 Apr 2027 | 10:11 | Mars appears to stand still, then moves east again |
Size and phase
| Date | Size | Lit | Magnitude | Distance | CM (W) | Sub-Earth lat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 2026 | 6.54" | 89.5% | about +0.9 | 214.1 million km | 156° | 20.4° N |
| 15 Nov 2026 | 7.12" | 89.5% | about +0.7 | 196.7 million km | 21° | 21.8° N |
| 1 Dec 2026 | 7.96" | 89.9% | about +0.5 | 176.0 million km | 229° | 22.7° N |
| 15 Dec 2026 | 8.88" | 90.8% | about +0.2 | 157.7 million km | 97° | 23.1° N |
| 1 Jan 2027 | 10.26" | 92.9% | about -0.1 | 136.5 million km | 299° | 22.9° N |
| 15 Jan 2027 | 11.56" | 95.3% | about -0.5 | 121.1 million km | 171° | 22.5° N |
| 1 Feb 2027 | 13.06" | 98.3% | about -0.9 | 107.3 million km | 19° | 21.6° N |
| 15 Feb 2027 | 13.76" | 99.8% | about -1.2 | 101.8 million km | 257° | 20.7° N |
| 20 Feb 2027 | 13.81" | 99.9% | about -1.2 | 101.4 million km | 213° | 20.4° N |
| 1 Mar 2027 | 13.63" | 99.5% | about -1.1 | 102.8 million km | 135° | 19.8° N |
| 15 Mar 2027 | 12.73" | 97.5% | about -0.8 | 110.0 million km | 12° | 19.2° N |
| 1 Apr 2027 | 11.20" | 94.3% | about -0.4 | 125.1 million km | 219° | 19.4° N |
| 15 Apr 2027 | 9.95" | 92.1% | about 0.0 | 140.8 million km | 90° | 20.2° N |
| 1 May 2027 | 8.73" | 90.4% | about +0.3 | 160.4 million km | 301° | 21.6° N |
| 15 May 2027 | 7.87" | 89.5% | about +0.5 | 178.1 million km | 168° | 23.0° N |
| 1 Jun 2027 | 7.03" | 89.2% | about +0.8 | 199.4 million km | 6° | 24.6° N |
| 15 Jun 2027 | 6.48" | 89.3% | about +0.9 | 216.3 million km | 231° | 25.6° N |
From 15 October 2026 to 30 June 2027 the disc is at least 6" across, a guide for when most amateur telescopes start to show surface detail.
| Rises | Highest | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| 18:02 | 00:10, 81.4° N | 06:19 |
2027 is a small opposition: 13.8" against 25.1" in August 2003. The next opposition is on 25 March 2029.
Why Mars loops backwards
Earth and Mars both orbit the Sun, and Earth, on its smaller, faster orbit, overtakes Mars about every 26 months. For a few weeks around the overtaking, Mars seems to stop against the stars, drift back west, stop again and carry on east. That backward drift is called retrograde motion. Mars itself never turns round; it is the view from a moving Earth.
Opposition is the moment Mars is opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises at sunset, is highest around midnight and sets at sunrise. Closest approach comes within a day of it, and is when Mars is largest and brightest.
Mars from Guyana in 2027
In February 2027 Mars stands almost overhead at midnight from Guyana, in the constellation Leo. High up, the light crosses less air, which helps the steadiness of the view that telescope users call seeing.
The central meridian
The central meridian is the line of Martian longitude that faces Earth, down the middle of the disc. It is given as west longitude, as in maps of Mars and in imaging software. Mars turns once in about 24 hours 37 minutes, so the same longitude faces us later each night: about 40 minutes later in November and June, and about 36 minutes later around opposition, when Earth is overtaking Mars. Use the calculator on this page with the exact time you will observe or image: the meridian moves while you set up.
The sub-Earth latitude says how far the disc is tilted toward us. It is given as planetodetic latitude, the convention of JPL Horizons and of imaging software.
Seeing detail
A disc at least 6 arcseconds across is a common guide for when amateur telescopes start to show surface markings, but steady air matters as much as size. To the eye, Mars is a bright orange-red point of light, not a disc.
How the numbers were made
- Positions, sizes, phases and the central meridian were computed with astronomy-engine 2.1.19, sampled daily at midnight in Guyana (04:00 UTC).
- They agree with JPL Horizons to 0.01 arcseconds in size and 0.03° in central meridian.
- Retrograde dates use the same station search as the site's Sky Events calendar.
- Magnitudes are models and are given to one decimal.
Sources
- JPL Horizons (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory) for size, phase, central meridian and sub-Earth latitude.
- astronomy-engine 2.1.19 (Don Cross, MIT licence).
Common questions
Will Mars look as big as the Moon?
No. At its closest in 2027 Mars is 13.8 arcseconds across. To the eye it is a bright orange-red point of light; you need a telescope to see a disc.
Why is closest approach on the 19th in Guyana and the 20th elsewhere?
Closest approach is at 00:21 UTC on 20 February 2027, which is 20:21 on the evening of 19 February in GMT-4.
What is the central meridian?
The Martian longitude facing Earth at the centre of the disc. It moves about 14.6° per hour as Mars turns, so a feature comes back later each night: about 36 minutes later around opposition and up to 40 minutes later in November and June.
Is 2027 a good year for Mars?
It is a small opposition: Mars reaches 13.8 arcseconds, far from the 25.1 of August 2003. From Guyana it stands almost overhead at midnight in February, which helps, and it is the best view until the opposition of 25 March 2029.