The true distance between Earth and Mars is constantly changing because we are both orbital planets and are constantly on the move. As both planets operate on elliptical orbits, the distance fluctuates even more than it would if both had circular orbits. What's more, Mars’ orbit is approximately 1.9 years. So for every one full rotation of the sun it makes, the earth makes almost two.
* At its furthest distance, Mars is 250 million miles (401 million km) away from Earth.
* The average distance between Earth and Mars is 140 million miles (225 million km).
* The closest that the Earth gets to Mars is about 54.6 million kilometers. This is when their orbital paths come together and the earth sits directly between Mars and the sun. It happens every 26 months.