On January 16, Mars will be 900 times brighter than the faintest visible star.

Axar.az informs that this was reported by the Department of Astrophysics at the Faculty of Physics, Baku State University (BSU).

It was noted that Mars will be at opposition at that time.

During opposition, Mars and the Sun are positioned in opposite directions relative to Earth. This is the situation where Mars is in one of its fully illuminated and closest positions to Earth:

"During opposition, Mars is visible throughout the night. This position is one of the best times for observing Mars both with a telescope and with the naked eye. The planet appears brighter and larger, providing ideal conditions for astronomers to study its features. Also, on January 12 at 11:00 PM, Mars will be at a distance of 0.642 AU (96.079 million km) from Earth.

Every Mars approach is accompanied by an opposition that occurs at almost the same time with a few days' difference. This delay is due to the notably elliptical orbit of Mars. This time, when Mars is at its closest position to Earth, its apparent angular size will be 14.6" (arc seconds), and its brightness will reach -1.4m, making it approximately 900 times brighter than the faintest visible star."

It is emphasized that in Baku, Mars will be visible throughout the night, from about 6:30 PM to 7:41 AM. At 1:14 AM, Mars will cross the celestial meridian, being at a height of 74° above the horizon.

The next major opposition is expected to occur on September 15, 2035, when Mars will be approximately 56 million kilometers from Earth.