For the last 35,000 years, the orbit of Mars has been getting slightly more eccentric because of the gravitational effects of the other planets. The closest distance between Earth and Mars will continue to mildly decrease for the next 25,000 years. Habitability and search for life
Learner's definition of CONTINUUM. [count] formal. : a range or series of things that are slightly different from each other and that exist between two different possibilities. His motives for volunteering lie somewhere on the continuum between charitable and self-serving. a continuum of temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot.
Distance. an important geometric concept whose meaning depends on the kind of entities for which it is defined. The distance between two points is the length of the line segment joining the points. The distance from a point to a line or a plane is the length of the perpendicular from this point to the line or plane. The distance between two parallel lines or planes is the length of a common perpendicular to the lines or planes.