Right now, Mars is shining brightly in our evening skies. Why are we so fascinated with this neighbor in space? Why is the “Red Planet” so like our own Earth in some ways, and so utterly different in others? Spacecraft from NASA and the European Space Agency are scrutinizing every bit of its globe from orbit to determine the planet's geologic history. And two of NASA’s robotic rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, continue their decade-long quest for evidence that Mars was once much warmer, wetter, and more hospitable to life than it is today.

J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor for Sky & Telescope magazine, leads an examination of the Red Planet from afar and up close. Learn where to locate it in the night sky and get a sense of what can be seen of Mars through a backyard telescope. Hear the latest updates on our current and future exploration of the Red Planet. And delve into the real odds of finding life there.

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