How far is it from earth to mars?

How far is it from earth to mars?

Dear thedude,

If the orbits of Earth and Mars were circles, Mars would be the same distance from Earth at every opposition. But the orbits are actually ellipses (oval-shaped), with the Sun offset from the centre. Mars, more so than Earth, follows a very non-circular orbit, so its distance from the Sun varies by 26.5 million miles (42.4 million km). This means that the distance between Earth and Mars at an opposition can be anything between about 35 million miles (56 million km) and 63 million miles (100 million km).
Sue

When Earth and Mars are on the same side of the Sun, they can approach to within 55 million kilometers (34 million miles) of each other. However, when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun, Mars can be more distant - up to 399 million kilometers (248 million miles) away.