Live tool · Distance to Mars
How far is Mars from Earth right now?
Right now Mars is 240.2 million km (149.2 million mi) from Earth, and getting closer. As both planets circle the Sun, the gap swings between about 55 and 400 million km (34 and 250 million mi).
Updated Sources (6)
That’s 1.61 times the distance from Earth to the Sun, and getting closer by 1,081,617 km (672,086 mi) a day.
1.606 AUAn astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance between Earth and the Sun: about 149.6 million km (93 million mi).More in the glossary · closing at 12.52 km/s (7.78 mi/s) · updates every secondDistance over the next three years
Mars comes as close as 101.4 million km (63.0 million mi) on Feb 20, 2027, then swings out to about 361 million km (224 million mi) around May 2028, when it’s on the far side of the Sun.
Show the numbers: the 1st of every month
| Date | Million km | Million mi | Light time |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2026 | 214.3 | 133.2 | 11 min 54 s |
| December 1, 2026 | 176.1 | 109.4 | 9 min 47 s |
| January 1, 2027 | 136.7 | 84.9 | 7 min 35 s |
| February 1, 2027 | 107.4 | 66.7 | 5 min 58 s |
| March 1, 2027 | 102.8 | 63.9 | 5 min 42 s |
| April 1, 2027 | 124.9 | 77.6 | 6 min 56 s |
| May 1, 2027 | 160.2 | 99.5 | 8 min 54 s |
| June 1, 2027 | 199.2 | 123.8 | 11 min 04 s |
| July 1, 2027 | 234.3 | 145.6 | 13 min 01 s |
| August 1, 2027 | 265.6 | 165.0 | 14 min 45 s |
| September 1, 2027 | 291.0 | 180.8 | 16 min 10 s |
| October 1, 2027 | 310.2 | 192.8 | 17 min 14 s |
| November 1, 2027 | 325.0 | 202.0 | 18 min 04 s |
| December 1, 2027 | 335.5 | 208.5 | 18 min 39 s |
| January 1, 2028 | 343.5 | 213.5 | 19 min 05 s |
| February 1, 2028 | 349.7 | 217.3 | 19 min 26 s |
| March 1, 2028 | 354.5 | 220.3 | 19 min 42 s |
| April 1, 2028 | 358.5 | 222.8 | 19 min 55 s |
| May 1, 2028 | 360.7 | 224.1 | 20 min 03 s |
| June 1, 2028 | 360.1 | 223.7 | 20 min 01 s |
| July 1, 2028 | 355.3 | 220.8 | 19 min 45 s |
| August 1, 2028 | 344.6 | 214.1 | 19 min 09 s |
| September 1, 2028 | 326.7 | 203.0 | 18 min 09 s |
| October 1, 2028 | 301.8 | 187.5 | 16 min 46 s |
| November 1, 2028 | 268.3 | 166.7 | 14 min 54 s |
| December 1, 2028 | 229.3 | 142.5 | 12 min 44 s |
| January 1, 2029 | 184.8 | 114.8 | 10 min 16 s |
| February 1, 2029 | 141.0 | 87.6 | 7 min 50 s |
| March 1, 2029 | 109.6 | 68.1 | 6 min 05 s |
| April 1, 2029 | 96.9 | 60.2 | 5 min 23 s |
| May 1, 2029 | 111.5 | 69.3 | 6 min 11 s |
| June 1, 2029 | 141.4 | 87.9 | 7 min 51 s |
| July 1, 2029 | 173.4 | 107.8 | 9 min 38 s |
| August 1, 2029 | 204.5 | 127.1 | 11 min 22 s |
| September 1, 2029 | 231.9 | 144.1 | 12 min 53 s |
| October 1, 2029 | 254.8 | 158.3 | 14 min 09 s |
Why does the distance to Mars change?
Earth and Mars circle the Sun at different speeds. Earth, on the inside track, catches up with Mars about every 26 months. When the two line up on the same side of the Sun, at OppositionOpposition is when Earth passes between the Sun and Mars, so Mars rises at sunset, stays up all night and looks its brightest — about every 26 months.More in the glossary, Mars is at its closest and brightest. When they’re on opposite sides of the Sun, the distance is at its greatest.
Mars’s orbit is also slightly stretched, so some close approaches are much closer than others. The very closest bring it to about 55 million km (34 million mi), and the farthest it gets is about 400 million km (250 million mi).[2]
When is Mars closest to Earth?
| Date | Million km | Million mi | Light time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101.4 | 63.0 | 5 min 38 s | |
| 96.8 | 60.2 | 5 min 22 s | |
| 82.8 | 51.4 | 4 min 36 s | |
| 63.3 | 39.3 | 3 min 31 s |
Computed by the site’s Mars engine. Opposition, when Mars is opposite the Sun in our sky, falls a few days before or after each date.
Signal delay: how we talk to Mars
Radio travels at the speed of light, so every message to Mars arrives late: 13 min 21 s right now, and anywhere from about 3 to 22 minutes depending on where the planets are. Nobody can drive a rover with a joystick. Teams send a day’s plan, then wait for the results.
Signals go through NASA’s Deep Space Network, giant dish antennas near Barstow, California, Madrid, Spain, and Canberra, Australia, so one of them always faces Mars as Earth turns.[3] Perseverance’s main data link sends its pictures and readings up to OrbiterAn orbiter circles Mars without landing, studying the planet from above — and many also relay rover data back to Earth.More in the glossary passing overhead, which relay them to Earth.[4]
How we calculate this
Planet positions come from NASA JPL’s approximate orbital elements, computed in your browser every second. Light time uses the speed of light in a vacuum, 299,792.458 km/s. Checked against JPL’s Horizons system for 2026–2028, the distance stays within about 0.02%: fine for reading, not for navigation.[1][5]
The page is built with today’s distance already filled in, so it reads correctly before the script runs. The chart and close approaches are recalculated once a day.
Questions
How far is Mars from Earth right now?
240,190,638 km (149,247,497 miles), and getting closer. The number at the top of this page updates every second.
How many miles away is Mars?
About 149 million miles right now. At its very closest it comes within about 34 million miles; at its farthest it’s about 250 million miles away.
How long would it take to drive to Mars?
About 274 years, driving nonstop at 100 km/h (62 mph) across today’s distance. Spacecraft are far faster, but they don’t fly straight there: they follow a longer, curved path timed with a Launch windowA launch window is the stretch of time, about every 26 months, when Earth and Mars line up so a spacecraft can reach Mars using the least fuel.More in the glossary, and most trips take seven to ten months.
How long does light take to reach Mars?
13 min 21 s right now. It ranges from about 3 minutes at the very closest approaches to about 22 minutes when Mars is on the far side of the Sun.
When is Mars closest to Earth?
Next on Feb 20, 2027, at 101.4 million km (63.0 million mi). Close approaches come about every 26 months.
Sources
- NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics — Approximate Positions of the PlanetsPrimary · checked Oct 2, 2026
- NASA NSSDCA — Mars Fact SheetPrimary · checked Oct 2, 2026
- NASA — Deep Space NetworkPrimary · checked Oct 2, 2026
- NASA Science — Perseverance rover components: communicationsPrimary · checked Oct 2, 2026
- NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics — Horizons System (used to check our engine)Primary · checked Oct 2, 2026
- NASA — How Long Does it Take to Get to the Moon… Mars… Jupiter? We Asked a NASA ExpertPrimary · checked Oct 2, 2026