How far is Mars from Earth?
- Distance on 5 September 2026
- about 1.83 au roughly 273 million km from Earth
- At their closest
- about 0.37 au roughly 56 million km, near a favourable opposition
- At their furthest
- about 2.68 au roughly 400 million km, on opposite sides of the Sun
The short answer
On 5 September 2026 Mars was about 1.83 astronomical units from Earth, roughly 273 million kilometres. That figure changes every day because both planets move around the Sun. Over their orbits the gap ranges from about 0.37 au, or 56 million kilometres, to about 2.68 au, or 400 million kilometres, so any single number needs a date.
Why the close approaches vary too
Earth and Mars line up on the same side of the Sun roughly every 26 months, but not at the same distance each time, because Mars's orbit is noticeably out of round. When they meet with Mars near its closest point to the Sun the gap is much smaller than when they meet with Mars near its furthest. Missions are launched around the favourable ones.
Seeing it instead of reading it
The model draws both planets from published JPL orbital elements, so moving the date shows the gap opening and closing rather than describing it. Switch to Accurate mode and the distances are true to scale, which is when the emptiness between them stops being an abstraction.