Astronomers around the world have been observing Mars at it passed closer to the Earth than at any time in the past 60,000 years.
At 10.51am this morning, the two planets were 34.65 million miles apart, almost their closest possible distance.
Mars has been visible as a bright orange object in the night sky for several weeks.
The last time Mars came this close to Earth, our ancestors lived in caves and were struggling to make basic tools out of rocks.
The last time Mars came nearer was around 12 September in 57,617 BC when Mars was 34.62 million miles from Earth. it will be 284 years before another such close encounter.
The red planet has always fired the human imagination.
Hope that life exists, or at least existed, on Mars still persists and extends beyond the world of literature.
NASA probes have sent back images suggesting water once flowed on or near the Martian surface. Water is seen as a prerequisite for life on other planets.
On Monday, NASA selected the low-cost Phoenix probe to carry out the first so-called Scout mission to Mars.
Phoenix is expected to land in late 2008.
