Mars and Jupiter Get Chummy in Night Sky; Planets Won’t Get This Close Again Until 2033

This combination image created from two photos shows Jupiter pictured on April 3, 2017, (L), and Mars, (R), pictured on Aug. 26, 2003. NASA via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade.

They’ll be so close Wednesday, at least from our perspective, that just a sliver of moon could fit between them. In reality, our solar system’s biggest planet and its dimmer, reddish neighbor will be more than 350 million miles (575 million kilometers) apart in their respective orbits.