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The distance from Earth to Mars changes on a minute to minute basis. The two travel along elliptical orbits that are not synchronized, so they are constantly alternating between getting closer together and farther apart.

Theoretically, Mars and Earth are closest together when Earth is at farthest point from the Sun(aphelion) and Mars is at its closest to the Sun(perihelion). At that point the two would be within 54.6 million km of each other. That point is said to be theoretical because it has not been observed during recorded history. The closest known approach was in 2003, when Earth and Mars were separated by only 56 million km. On the opposite end of the scale, Mars and Earth can be 401 million km apart when they are in opposition and both are at aphelion. The average distance between the two is 225 million km.

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13y ago

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No, Earth and Mars are closest when they are in opposition, which occurs about every 26 months. They are farthest apart when they are on opposite sides of the Sun, which happens approximately every 780 days.

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9mo ago
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Q: Is the earth and mars farthest apart in space?
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