Mars came to opposition on December 24, 2007 in the extreme western part of Gemini, near the border with Taurus.  Here I captured Mars just before the beginning of its retrograde loop on November 8, a month and a half before opposition.  This chart shows part of the retrograde loop and the position of Mars just before the start on November 8.  On this date, Mars attained magnitude -0.80 and was 12.96" in diameter.