Mars 2022

During this apparition, Mars will come into Opposition on December 8, 2022 in the constellation Taurus, when it will shine at an apparent visual brightness of -1.87 magnitudes. Seven days earlier, on December 1, 2022, it will have had its closest approach to Earth during this apparition, with a distance of only 50.8 million miles (81.47 million km = 0.54447 AU). This is an intermediately close encounter, as Mars is neither close to its perihelion nor its aphelion. This opposition occurs less than about one month before Northern Spring / Southern Autumn Equinox (which will occur December 27): So, as seen from Mars, both the Sun and the Earth will be quite close to the Martian Celestial Equator, and the polar caps will be seen on the planet's limb from Earth.

European Space Agency had planned to send its ExoMars Rover mission, originally scheduled for launch in 2018 and later for 2020, until it was suspended indefinitely. New launch options are evaluated and it may be rescheduled for 2024 or later.

Chronology of the 2022 Mars Apparition

Oct 8, 2021: Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Virgo. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun as seen from Mars. Distance 393 million km (2.6286 AU), apparent diameter 3.563", brightness +1.65 mag. This conjunction, which also ends the 2020 apparition of Mars, starts the 2022 apparition of Mars.
Oct 28, 2021: Mars at its least brightness (+1.65 mag).
Nov 11, 2021: Mars leaves constellation Virgo and enters Libra.
Dec 3, 2021: Moon occults Mars.
Dec 15, 2021: Mars leaves constellation Libra and enters Scorpius.
Dec 19, 2021: Mars passes the descending node of its orbit, moving to the south of Earth's orbital plane, the ecliptic, and getting southern ecliptic latitudes.
Dec 24, 2021: Mars leaves constellation Scorpius and enters Ophiuchus.
Dec 31, 2021: Moon occults Mars.
Jan 1, 2022: Mars is seen in the morning sky in constellation Ophiuchus at a distance of 2.4863 AU (372 million km) at about +1.5 mag apparent brightness and 4.0" apparent diameter.
Jan 11, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.5 mag.
Jan 15, 2022: As seen from Mars, Earth passes the Martian Celestial Equator to southern hemisphere. Now the South Pole is visible, the central latitude of the Martian disk is on Mars' southern hemisphere.
Jan 19, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Ophiuchus and enters Sagittarius.
Feb 25, 2022: Northern Autumn, Southern Spring Equinox on Mars.
Mar 5, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Sagittarius and enters Capricornus.
Mar 20, 2022: Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 5".
Apr 11, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Capricornus and enters Aquarius.
Apr 12, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.0 mag
May 14, 2022: As seen from Mars, Earth reaches the southernmost point of its apparent orbit at an areographic declination of -25.3 deg; this is equal to the maximal southern areographic latitude of the center of Mars' disk as seen from Earth
May 19, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Aquarius and enters Pisces.
May 26, 2022: Mars reaches its greatest southern heliocentric latitude (-1.8479d).
Jun 3, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Cetus.
Jun 9, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Cetus and re-enters Pisces.
Jun 22, 2022: Mars in Perihelion (1.38131 AU, 206.6 million km).; Moon occults Mars.
Jun 26, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +0.5 mag
Jul 8, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Pisces and enters Aries.
Jul 21, 2022: Moon occults Mars.
Jul 22, 2022: Northern Winter, Southern Summer Equinox on Mars.
Aug 9, 2022: Mars leaves constellation Aries and enters Taurus.
Aug 10, 2022: From Mars, Earth is at its greatest Eastern elongation from the Sun at about 46 deg. From Earth, Mars phase is minimal, angle is 43 deg. Only 84 percent of the visible Mars hemisphere is illuminated.
Aug 21, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds 0.0 mag
Sep 4, 2022: Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 10".
Sep 26, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -0.5 mag
Oct 8, 2022: As seen from Mars, Earth passes the Martian Celestial Equator to northern hemisphere. Now the North Pole is visible, the central latitude of the Martian disk is on Mars' northern hemisphere. It will run a loop close to the Martian Celestial Equator around opposition.
Oct 20, 2022: Mars passes the ascending node of its orbit, moving to the north of Earth's orbital plane, the ecliptic, and getting northern ecliptic latitudes.
Oct 21, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -1.0 mag
Oct 30, 2022: Apparent diameter of Mars exceeds 15".; Mars becomes stationary and then starts its retrograde opposition loop, as Earth passes between the Red Planet and the Sun.
Nov 9, 2022: As seen from Mars, Earth passes the Martian Celestial Equator to southern hemisphere again temporarily.
Nov 13, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds -1.5 mag
Dec 1, 2022: Closest Approach of Mars and Earth (0.54447 AU, 81.45 million km). Apparent diameter of Mars is 17.19".
Dec 8, 2022: Mars Opposition on Earth, Earth inferior conjunction on Mars. Apparent brightness of Mars reaches -1.87 mag in constellation Taurus.; Moon occults Mars.
Dec 23, 2022: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than -1.5 mag.
Dec 27, 2022: Northern Spring, Southern Autumn Equinox on Mars.
Dec 29, 2022: Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 15".
Jan 1, 2023: Mars is seen in the evening sky in constellation Taurus at a distance of 0.638 AU (95.5 million km) at about -1.2 mag, apparent brightness and 14.7" apparent diameter.
Jan 3, 2023: Moon occults Mars.
Jan 7, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than -1.0 mag.
Jan 12, 2023: Mars becomes stationary to end its retrograde opposition loop as the Earth has passed it on its inner orbit, and proceeds in prograde apparent motion.
Jan 13, 2023: As seen from Mars, Earth moveds thru a mini-maximum of southern areographic latitude at about 9.4d during its loop close to the Martian Celestial Equator around opposition.
Jan 23, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than -0.5 mag.
Jan 31, 2023: Moon occults Mars.
Feb 7, 2023: Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 10".
Feb 11, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than 0.0 mag.
Feb 28, 2023: Moon occults Mars.
Mar 5, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than +0.5 mag.
Mar 14, 2023: From Mars, Earth is at its greatest Western elongation from the Sun at about 43 deg. From Earth, Mars phase is minimal, angle is 43 deg. Only 89.7 percent of the visible Mars hemisphere is illuminated.
Mar 21, 2023: As seen from Mars, Earth passes the Martian Celestial Equator to northern hemisphere. Now the North Pole is visible, the central latitude of the Martian disk is on Mars' northern hemisphere. It ends its loop close to the Martian Celestial Equator around opposition.
Nar 26, 2023: Mars leaves constellation Taurus and enters Gemini.
Apr 2, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than +1.0 mag.
Apr 23, 2023: Mars reaches its greatest northern heliocentric latitude (+1.8479d).
May 16, 2023: Apparent diameter of Mars decreases below 5".
May 17, 2023: Mars leaves constellation Gemini and enters Cancer.
May 20, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars becomes fainter than +1.5 mag.
May 30, 2023: Mars in Aphelion (1.6659 AU, 249.2 million km).
Jun 20, 2023: Mars leaves constellation Cancer and enters Leo.
Jul 13, 2023: Northern Summer, Southern Winter Solstice on Mars.
Aug 7, 2023: Mars at its least brightness (+1.77 mag).
Aug 17, 2023: Mars leaves constellation Leo and enters Virgo.
2023 Aug 19: As seen from Mars, Earth reaches the northernmost point of its apparent orbit at an areographic declination of +26.2 deg; this is equal to the maximal northern areographic latitude of the center of Mars' disk as seen from Earth
Sep 16, 2023: Moon occults Mars.
Oct 15, 2023: Moon occults Mars.
Oct 24, 2023: Mars leaves constellation Virgo and enters Libra.
Nov 6, 2023: Apparent brightness of Mars exceeds +1.5 mag.
Nov 18, 2023: Mars in conjunction with the Sun from Earth, in Libra. Earth in superior conjunction with the Sun as seen from Mars. Distance 378 million km (2.5264 AU), apparent diameter 3.707", brightness +1.43 mag. This conjunction ends the 2022 apparition of Mars. It also starts the 2024/25 apparition of Mars.

Links

Mars 2022 ephemeris, generated by JPL Ephemeris Generator
A.L.P.O. Mars Observation Form (blank) [local copy] - filled sample [local copy]
A.L.P.O. B&W Mars Map
ALPO's Mars Blog with new featured observations and alerts
The 2022-2023 Apparition of Mars, by Jeff Beish. The "official" ALPO 2022 Pre-Apparition Report. [Local archival copy]
Observing Planet Mars, by Jeffrey D. Beish
General Information for Apparitions of Mars, by Jeffrey D. Beish
Mars Oppositions

Mars Oppositions | < 2020 | 2025 >

Hartmut Frommert [contact]

Last Modification: July 23, 2023