A Martian year is almost twice as long as an Earth year. As the distance between Earth and Mars gets shorter, will our days grow longer, or their days shorter?

We haven't been this close to Mars since Sept. 12, 57617 B.C. Was Lucy walking upright then?

"Just 34.6 million miles of space will separate the two planets Aug. 27. If that doesn't sound close, Mars was five times as distant just six months ago.

Already, Mars has begun to loom large in the late evening sky, its rusty twinkle apparent in the southeast. For the next several weeks, it should shine brighter than any other celestial body except the moon and Venus.

Aldo Vitagliano, of the University of Naples in Italy, said Mars hasn't had as close a brush with Earth since Sept. 12, 57617 B.C."