Mumbai, Aug 17: Sky gazers were in for a rare celestial spectacle as planet Mars, moves closest to the Earth on August 27, the first time in nearly 5000 years. Mars, whose orbit is influenced by the tugs and gravitational force of planet Jupiter, has slowly begun moving towards the earth, according to sources at the Nehru Planetarium.
The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles and will be second brightest object in the sky, after the Moon, the sources said. At the beginning of August, Mars will rise in the east at 10 pm and reach its maximum visibility at 3 am.

By the end of August when the two planets are the closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12.30 p.m., sources added. The rare nocturnal spectale will be next visible only in 2287 Bureau Report