Mars Swings By for a Visit

(CNN) It's a great time to get a close-up look at Mars, even if you don't have a telescope.

The red planet will soon be closer to Earth than it has been in 11 years: On May 30, Mars will be about 46.8 million miles (75.3 million kilometers) from Earth. Yes, that's still a long way off, but sometimes Mars is 249 million miles (400 million kilometers) from Earth.

The red planet. I didn't realize until tonight that Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system after Mercury. It has long held the denizens of our own in awe, leading us to speculation, invention, and wonder. In awe enough that we named it Mars after the Roman god of War. We've speculated to its history. What were the canals? Was it once similar to earth? Is or was there ever life there? Long before we explored it to current standards we debated: did it have water? an atmosphere? could we survive there?

And wonder. 

What is that stone face on Mars?

We've made it home to our first invaders. Orson Welles frightened people with his dramatization of The War of the Worlds from H.G. Wells with its terrifying monster machines stomping over our cities. Some of those visitors could be humorous like Ray Walston as Uncle Martin with his antenna that sprouted from the top of his head (closely resembling rabbit ears) the kind once used to pull in network TV on our black and white sets and his amazing powers. There was the Martian raised, Michael Valentine Smith, from Robert Heinlein's Sci Fi masterpiece,  who like Tarzan of the Apes and Mowgli from Jungle Book, faced their original society with the alternated perspective of their unique upbringings with Martians, apes, and animals.

Now, a company is seeking volunteers to make the one-way journey to be settlers there, because as one can see from the vast distances at the beginning of the essay, it takes lots of time and the conquering of vast distances to get there.

So, take a few moments away from your job, TV, your iPhone, or speculating who the next president will be to step outside in the night and view our neighbor Mars as it swings by to what in space is a mere shout across the valley...

                                                  .....and ponder one's own miniscule part in the Music of the Spheres.