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How often do oppositions of Mars occur?
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Mars
An especially serene view of Mars (Tharsis side), a composite of images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft in April 1999. The northern polar cap and encircling dark dune field of Vastitas Borealis are visible at the top of the globe. White water-ice clouds surround the most prominent volcanic peaks, including Olympus Mons near the western limb, Alba Patera to its northeast, and the line of Tharsis volcanoes to the southeast. East of the Tharsis rise can be seen the enormous near-equatorial gash that marks the canyon system Valles Marineris.
Successive oppositions of Marsâthe point at which Earth passes directly between the planet and the Sunâoccur approximately every 26 months.1
Because Mars has an elongated orbit, the distance between the two planets varies significantly during these events. While oppositions happen every 26 months, those that are most favorable for viewingâoccurring when Mars is at its closest point to the Sun and Earthâtake place roughly every 15 years. During these oppositions, the planet appears at its largest and brightest in the sky.1