Is anyone else going to try to see Mars tomorrow night? Is is worth it without a telescope?

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Is anyone else going to try to see this? Ds is interested and we've said he can stay up to see if we can see Mars tomorrow night (apparently it will be the closest it's been to earth for 30,000 years - cavemen were the last to see it with the naked eye). But will we be able to see anything without a telescope? How will we know it's Mars? Is there anything we could print off so we'll know which planet it is? Or should we all just go to bed instead?!

sounds interesting. here you go www
bbc news

ooooooooohhhh just my cup of tea..will be out having a look.......thanks

In Wiltshire we have been able to see mars with the naked eye for a few weeks. It is quite amazing. I hope it is a clear night tomorrow night. I don't think you'll need a telescope www.

DS1 has mentioned several times recently that he'd seen Mars and I just went "oh, that's nice, dear"! Didn't realise it was unusual! (Must have been thinking of Venus...)

Ha ha Janh! Apparently it's the first time for 60,000 years, not 30,000 so next time he says it you'll have to look slightly impressed!

I remember some years ago seeing Saturn with the naked eye. Every night dbf and I would sit out on the balcony and wonder at this mis-shapen star we were seeing. Then one night I caught dear old Patrick's Sky at Night and learned that it was Saturn, so borrowed my Dad's binoculars, and the next night we could actually see the rings and the planet itself separately. It was wow.

Then a few years later (dbf had become dh) we packed up ds in his pyjamas into the car seat and drove out into the countryside to see the Hale Bop comet. Another wow.

Somehow now, though, with the two kids, I don't see ourselves making that extra effort to see Mars. After all, we've seen it many times, if not as close as it is.

But, on the other hand, it may remind us of more relaxed and romantic times...

we were so lucky to have a good view of mars last week on holiday - countryside, no light pollution. i think it is worth making the effort if your kids are old enough to understand.

Isn't it supposed to be a bit like a red star? I'll go and have a look ....

rather too cloudy tonight. I'll try again tomorrow.

It's really clear here and we don't have many street lights, so I can see it, hoorah!

As men supposedly come from Mars can you see enough to fathom what makes them the way they are?

Apparently its going to be cloudy tonight but my space-nut hubby says, if its not too bad, you will be able to tell which one is Mars. Where we are there's lots of light pollution but I think we'll give it a go. We always head for the top of Primrose Hill for all these events, hale-bop, eclipse, snow, jubilee flypast etc and its wonderful, just like a party so I recommend it to anyone who is near enough.

We went to a park in Los Angeles last night to see Mars. Loads of amateur astronomers had set up their telescopes for people to look through, which I thought was a very public-spirited thing to do. It was a fantastic carnival atmosphere and dd2 and I were on tv as one of the tv staions did a news item as we queued in line! Mars is easy to see by naked eye (it looks pinky-red) and via a scope it was huge and brilliant white. Apparently, you could sometimes see lots of details but we weren't lucky enough to get that good a view.

well it was too cloudy here to see anything
I'm sure I am jinxed. everytime something great is happening in the sky along come the clouds!
I remember watching lunar eclipse & just as it was about to reach totality a whopping great cloud came along & obscured it all
Had my telescope all ready too.

It was too cloudy here too. We went to the beach which was freezing but pointless - we couldn't even see very many stars let alone Mars. Suedonim, that sounds great.