Between now and August, Mars will brighten until it “blazes forth against the dark background of space with a splendor that outshines Sirius and rivals the giant Jupiter himself.” Astronomer Percival Lowell, who famously mapped the canals of Mars, wrote those words to describe the planet during a similar close encounter in the 19th century.

This Wednesday it will be the closest.  Me, I’m just going to go on Friday (yeah, I’ll miss the closest by a couple of days) to 7,000 feet at The Mountain and avoid the LA area light pollution.