Mars' distance depends on where it and Earth are in their orbits.
- Mars is, on average, about 225 million kilometers (140 million miles) from Earth.
- The distance can vary from about 54.6 million kilometers (33.9 million miles) at its closest approach to roughly 401 million kilometers (250 million miles) when the two planets are farthest apart.
- Currently, Mars is over 335 million kilometers (over 200 million miles) from Earth.
- Light takes around 13 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mars, and about 18 to 21 minutes to travel from Mars to Earth depending on their relative positions.
Thus, the distance to Mars is not fixed but fluctuates significantly due to the elliptical orbits of Earth and Mars around the Sun. Mars' average distance from the Sun is about 228 million kilometers (142 million miles), which affects its varying distance from Earth as both orbit the Sun.
