Why does Mars seem to chase Jupiter?

Are the two planets really close together? Let’s find out.

News Nibbles Edition 1 · Sunday 11 October 2026· Page 3 of the paper

Each planet travels around the Sun in its own lane. From Earth, Mars and Jupiter can line up.

Planets run on a track

All the planets travel around the Sun, like runners on a round track. Each planet has its own lane. Planets near the Sun have short lanes and zoom fast. Planets far away have long lanes and go slowly.

Are they really close?

No! Jupiter is much, much farther away than Mars. From Earth, the two just look lined up.

Try the finger trick

Close one eye. Hold up one finger and line it up with a door across the room. Your finger is close and the door is far, yet they look together! That is what Mars and Jupiter are doing.

Meet Mars

Mars is red because its dust is rusty, like an old iron nail. It has the tallest volcano we know, Olympus Mons, more than twice as tall as Mount Everest. Mars has two tiny moons.

Meet Jupiter

About 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter! It is made mostly of gas, so there is no ground to stand on. Its Great Red Spot is a storm bigger than Earth.

Did you know?A day on Jupiter is less than 10 hours long. It spins faster than any other planet!

Big wordorbit
The path a planet takes around the Sun.

Think about itMars takes about 2 years to go around the Sun. In Mars years, would you be older or younger?