Earth and Mars Are About to Get Very Cozy

Few things in space are as sloppy as a solar system—and few solar systems are as sloppy as ours. That can be a very good thing if you like cosmic sky shows, because now and again, the familiar nighttime heavens can change in dramatic ways. Monday will be one of those times, when Mars makes an unusually close pass by Earth, drawing nearer—and looming larger—than at any time since 2005.