Mars seen in S'pore night skies on Jan. 17, its closest to Earth in over 2 years

If you looked up at the night sky last night, you might have seen a distinctive reddish speck.

That's because the planet Mars was at its closest approach to Earth on Jan. 16, 2025, making it brighter and bigger.

This sight was captured in numerous photos shared by various users to the Cloudspotting and Skyspotting Singapore Facebook page.

Some users caught shots of two other stars aligning with Mars in the night sky.

Though a few online mistook them as planets, they are actually Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars in the Gemini constellation.

The astronomical event — Mars in opposition — occurs when Earth passes directly between Mars and the Sun, which aligns the three celestial bodies in a straight line.

As Mars gets fully illuminated by the sun, it becomes easier to spot with the naked eye and telescopes even allow users to observe the planet in detail.

It was visible from 7:30pm onwards on Jan. 16, and reached its highest point at about 1am on Jan. 17, The Straits Times reported.

At 3:40am on Jan. 17, one enthusiast managed to capture this image with a telescope from her flat window in Ubi:

According to a post on the Stargazing Singapore Facebook group, the Mars opposition happens approximately once every 26 months (two years and two months).

The next Mars opposition will be on Feb. 19, 2027.

But if you missed last night's opportunity, don't fret.

Mars is expected to rise earlier and earlier and will soon be visible right after sunset, towards the end of January.

Four planets visible to naked eye in January

Mars is not the only planet you will be able to see in the night sky this month.

Another post on Stargazing Singapore indicates that a total of four planets — Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter — will be visible to the naked eye in Singapore's evening skies for the next few weeks, weather permitting.

Jupiter and Mars will be in the north-east, while Venus and Saturn will be in the west.

While Mars appears as a very distinct reddish star, Venus appears as a yellowish but distinct star.

Best places to see all four planets at once include Marina Barrage, tall buildings with a 360-degree unblocked view or one with windows facing from North East to West.

To orientate yourself, you can use a mobile compass app or an app of the night sky like SkyView or Google Sky Map.

Top image from Jenifer T Tan/Chan KH/Foo CT on Facebook