Mars closest to Earth in 15 years today at 57.6 million km

At a distance of 57.6 million km, Mars has come closest to Earth since 2003 and will appear relatively brighter. The Red Planet will be visible to the naked eye as usual throughout Tuesday's night sky in India, starting 7:10 pm until sunrise. However, a dust storm presently engulfing Mars is obscuring surface details normally visible through telescopes, said scientists.