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How far is Mars from Earth right now?
Mars is 247,490,747 km from Earth right now, getting closer at 11.98 km/s.
Mars from Earth, right now
Centre to centre. Worked out in your browser from JPL's orbital elements, the same maths that moves the planets in the 3D viewer, and updated ten times a second.
Where Earth and Mars are today
Why the distance keeps changing
Earth laps Mars about every 26 months. When we pass it on the inside track, near opposition, Mars comes closest and shines brightest. When it is on the far side of the Sun, it is more than seven times farther away.
Mars has a noticeably oval orbit, so some close approaches are far closer than others. In 2003 it came within 55.8 million km, the closest in about 60,000 years.
Mars ranges from about 54.6 million km to about 401.3 million km from Earth.
Questions
How far is Mars from Earth right now?
On 2 October 2026, Mars was 247.5 million km from Earth (153,783,620 miles, 1.6544 AU), and getting closer at 11.98 km/s. The figure at the top of this page is worked out live in your browser, so it is current whenever you read it.
When is Mars next closest to Earth?
Mars next comes closest to Earth on 20 February 2027, at about 101.4 million km. Close approaches like this, at opposition, come round about every 780 days.
How long does light take to travel from Mars to Earth?
Right now light from Mars takes 13 min 45.5 s to reach us, so we see Mars as it was that long ago. Radio signals to a spacecraft there take the same time.
What is the closest and farthest Mars gets from Earth?
Mars can come as close as about 54.6 million km and be as far as about 401.3 million km, worked out from the sizes and shapes of the two orbits.