Here is the translation of the given content into English: "Close-up view of Mars"

Author: Compiled by Li Bo, U.S. Cengage Learning
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Publish Date: 2005-04-01
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In recent days, we have heard much about Mars. You might think you can always see this planet. But that’s not the case. Although we can occasionally spot it in the sky over the course of a few months, it’s not always as prominent. In fact, Mars only shines exceptionally bright once every few years, and each time, this brilliance lasts for only a short few weeks. Mars’ brightness depends on its distance from Earth. Most of the time, Mars is far away, and compared to other stars, such as one of the Big Dipper, it appears only moderately bright to the naked eye. However, when it gets closer, it outshines all other celestial bodies, except for the sun, the moon, and Venus.