Obscured By Clouds

So, Mars is closer to the Earth than it has been in almost 60,000 years.

Great! Let's all rush out now and get hold of whatever stocks of telescopes, binoculars and magnifying glasses we can, crowd the streets at midnight and ooh! and aah! at the red planet. Maybe we'll even spot some little green men, since we're so close.

Just one problem, though. Unless you live in the Shetlands or somewhere, you won't be able to see a thing. One of the biggest astronomical events for millennia and we can't see it happen because it's going to be cloudy. Bloody typical.