Planets TonightMars in 2016: brightness, position and events
Brightest-2.0around Jun 1
Closest (in table)0.503 au75 million km
Farthest1.683 au
Events this year1
Brightest last year+1.1
Events this year
| Date (JST) | Event | Mag | Dist (au) | Constellation | Elong. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-22 20:16 | Opposition | -2.1 | 0.509 | Scorpius | 178.8° |
Magnitude through the year (lower = brighter)
Twice-monthly position and visibility
| Date | Mag | Dist (au) | Constellation | Elong. | Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | +1.2 | 1.683 | Virgo | 72° W | Morning sky |
| Jan 15 | +1.1 | 1.544 | Virgo | 78° W | Morning sky |
| Feb 1 | +0.8 | 1.371 | Libra | 87° W | Morning sky |
| Feb 15 | +0.6 | 1.227 | Libra | 94° W | Morning sky |
| Mar 1 | +0.2 | 1.076 | Libra | 103° W | Morning sky |
| Mar 15 | -0.1 | 0.941 | Scorpius | 112° W | Morning sky |
| Apr 1 | -0.5 | 0.789 | Scorpius | 124° W | Morning sky |
| Apr 15 | -1.0 | 0.680 | Ophiuchus | 137° W | Morning sky |
| May 1 | -1.5 | 0.581 | Scorpius | 153° W | Most of the night |
| May 15 | -1.9 | 0.525 | Scorpius | 170° W | Most of the night |
| Jun 1 | -2.0 | 0.503 | Libra | 167° E | Most of the night |
| Jun 15 | -1.8 | 0.522 | Libra | 150° E | Evening sky |
| Jul 1 | -1.4 | 0.574 | Libra | 133° E | Evening sky |
| Jul 15 | -1.1 | 0.636 | Libra | 122° E | Evening sky |
| Aug 1 | -0.8 | 0.723 | Libra | 110° E | Evening sky |
| Aug 15 | -0.6 | 0.800 | Scorpius | 102° E | Evening sky |
| Sep 1 | -0.3 | 0.895 | Scorpius | 95° E | Evening sky |
| Sep 15 | -0.2 | 0.975 | Ophiuchus | 90° E | Evening sky |
| Oct 1 | +0.0 | 1.068 | Sagittarius | 84° E | Evening sky |
| Oct 15 | +0.2 | 1.150 | Sagittarius | 80° E | Evening sky |
| Nov 1 | +0.3 | 1.252 | Sagittarius | 75° E | Evening sky |
| Nov 15 | +0.5 | 1.338 | Capricornus | 71° E | Evening sky |
| Dec 1 | +0.6 | 1.439 | Capricornus | 67° E | Evening sky |
| Dec 15 | +0.7 | 1.529 | Capricornus | 63° E | Evening sky |
Computed with the JPL DE421 ephemeris and Skyfield (times in JST). Magnitude and distance are for 12:00 JST on each date. Visibility is a rough guide for mid-northern latitudes such as Japan.
About this page
Mars is brightest around June 2016 (magnitude -2.0); 1 conjunctions, oppositions or elongations occur this year.