You can find Mars at just about any point during the night -- it'll rise in the southeastern sky at about 9 p.m. and be rising across the southern sky. Just look for the bright red dot -- or better yet, grab some binoculars or a telescope for prime viewing.

Mars will be the brightest object in the sky though most of the night, as the moon is new and Venus and the bright star Sirius will be below the horizon.

Mars and Earth have similar ~34.6 million-mile close encounters every 79 years, but this encounter takes the prize by a nose.