Mars' closest approach in 2016 was on May 22, when it was at opposition, that is, on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. This video contains time-lapse videos of Mars taken in March, April, May, and June, all through the same power telescope.
Mars rotates on it's axis a little slower than the Earth, with a day a little longer than 24 hours, and it's axis is tilted at 25 degrees, compared to 23 for the earth.
