Starting around 9 p.m., look to the western sky for Mars. The bright star Regulus, in the constellation Leo, will help guide you—Mars will appear about a degree away, roughly the width of your outstretched pinkie finger at arm’s length.
Regulus, also known as the Heart of the Lion, is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Located about 79 light-years away, it is actually a system of four stars. The largest, Regulus A, is egg-shaped because its speedy rotatation causes it to bulge at the equator. While our Sun takes about a month to complete a rotation, Regulus spins once every 16 hours.
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Look for Regulus' slightly bluish color. This will not only help you find Mars but makes its orange color stand out more.
That orange tint comes from iron oxide—commonly known as rust. Iron in the Martian rocks, and the dust that now blankets much of the planet's surface, has been oxidized by both oxygen in the atmosphere and water, which scientists continue to find evidence of having once been abundant on this now arid, desert world.