Mars will be making its closest approach to Earth in two years, and thus, the mighty red planet, named for the god of war himself, will appear brighter, bigger, and bolder in the night sky. This Martian exclamation point will further amplify the experience of the alignment.

"This is, incidentally, why we sometimes observe planets appearing to approach closely to each other on the sky, as we view them along a line while they careen around the cosmic r