Just FYI... 
--------------------------------------------------------------
Never again in your lifetime will the Red Planet be
so spectacular.
This month and next Earth is catching up with Mars,
an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach
between the two planets in recorded history.
The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Due to the way Jupiter's
gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit,
astronomers can only be certain
that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the
last 5,000 years but it may be
as long as 60,000 years.
The encounter will culminate on Tuesday, August 27th when
Mars comes to within
34,649,589 miles and will be (next to the moon) the
brightest object in the night
sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will
appear 25.11 arc seconds wide.
At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as
large as the full moon
to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the
beginning of August Mars
will rise in the East at 10 p.m. and reach its
azimuth at about 3 a.m. But by the
end of August when the two planets are closest,
Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest
point in the sky at 12:30 a.m.
That's pretty convenient when it comes to seeing
something that no human has
seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at
the beginning of August to
see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter
throughout the month.
Share with your children and grandchildren. No one
alive today will ever see this again.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Never again in your lifetime will the Red Planet be
so spectacular.
This month and next Earth is catching up with Mars,
an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach
between the two planets in recorded history.
The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Due to the way Jupiter's
gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit,
astronomers can only be certain
that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the
last 5,000 years but it may be
as long as 60,000 years.
The encounter will culminate on Tuesday, August 27th when
Mars comes to within
34,649,589 miles and will be (next to the moon) the
brightest object in the night
sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will
appear 25.11 arc seconds wide.
At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as
large as the full moon
to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the
beginning of August Mars
will rise in the East at 10 p.m. and reach its
azimuth at about 3 a.m. But by the
end of August when the two planets are closest,
Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest
point in the sky at 12:30 a.m.
That's pretty convenient when it comes to seeing
something that no human has
seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at
the beginning of August to
see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter
throughout the month.
Share with your children and grandchildren. No one
alive today will ever see this again.
:lol:
