Roppongi Hills Holds Viewing Party for Closest Mars Approach in 15 Years (Video)

On July 31, Mars will be the closest to Earth it has been in 15 years. While the red and blue planets approach each other once every 26 months, due to their elliptical orbits the distance between the two differs each time. According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the distance between the cores of the two planets will be approximately 57.6 million kilometers, making it the closest the two have been since August 27, 2003. The video above shows footage taken at a Mars viewing party held at Tokyo City View in Roppongi Hills on July 30. Tokyo City View will be holding these events until August 3. (© Jiji)