Mars at its closest point to Earth next week

This image shows Mars as it was observed shortly before opposition in 2016. Photo / Supplied

RNZ

Mars and Earth will be at their nearest point on October 14 and won't get that close again until 2035.

According to Nasa, Mars will be directly on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, an event that occurs every two years.

The event, known as opposition, also coincides with when Mars and Earth come closest in their orbits, making the Red Planet incredibly bright in the night sky.

Space scientist and astronomer Duncan Steel said Mars will be hard to miss in the night sky, even for those without the use of binoculars or a telescope.

"It's the brightest thing in the eastern sky after the sky has set.

"Mars is currently rising at about 8pm in the evening, it will be progressively getting a bit earlier so in a week's time it will be rising at about 7.30pm. It's in the constellation Pisces if you know your stars ... you really can't miss it, it's kind of salmon-pink-looking bright object in the eastern sky, gradually rising moving more towards the northeast and it will be visible right the way through the evening, it doesn't set ... until after the sun has risen in the morning.

"Even if you don't have a telescope or a pair of binoculars, a lot of people with good eye sight can see that is indeed a disk, it isn't a single point of light like a star ... and if you look at it through a small telescope or a pair of binoculars you may be able to see the southern polar cap which is ice, it's just a great thing to see," he said.

- RNZ