The red planet close

Our neighboring planet Mars comes relatively close to Earth in October 2020. On Oct. 6th 2020 the planet reaches the closest position and its distance to Earth  is only 61 million km. From September to November the red planet appears brighter than Jupiter and can be found in the evening sky east of Jupiter. At the day of opposition Mars rises when the Sun sets and sets when the Sun rises.  Mars is a very interesting object of research and the Astrophysics section of the Institute of Physics is involved e.g. in the research of space weather effects on the Martian surface; this project will be done through a Master Thesis (supervisor Arnold Hanslmeier). The solar activity has a stronger influence on the surface of Mars because Mars has a very thin atmosphere and no permanent magnetic field.