Mars is going to get closer to Earth than it has in a while this summer. Specifically, in late July, the Red Planet will get closer than it has since 2003. The planet will be in opposition to the sun on July 27th. That day the planet will blaze at magnitude negative 2.8; twice as bright as Jupiter, but dimmer than Venus. That means when you look through a telescope with an eyepiece magnifying 75 power, Mars’ disk will appear as large as the disk of the moon to the unaided eye. However, Mars will be far south when it is at its best, meaning for most observers in the U.S., the planet will be so low in the sky it will hamper telescopic work.
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