MARS

moreluck

golden ticket member
Coming soon - MARS!! !
since this won't happen again for between 5,000 and 60,000 years...might
be
worth a look now. I'm sure some of you already know and are watching for
this phenomenon, but if you aren't - here's your chance.

Mars


The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!

This month the Earth is catching up with Mars in 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 before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when
Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth 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 it will rise in the east at 10p.m.

and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

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 12:30a.m. That's pretty
convenient to see something that no human being 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 this with your children and grandchildren.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN
 

traveler

Where next? Venice
moreluck said:
Coming soon - MARS!! !

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Who says? I really don't want to miss it the second time around. :tongue_sm

We will be in the Baltic Sea early in August so it should provide a good look without city lights to interfere. In late August we plan to be in the desert southwest so again, we should be able to have another good look. I hope it will be half as great as the full solar eclipse we saw while cruising the Mediterranean Sea earlier this year.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
I have been informed by a friend that this event already took place in 2003. So sorry. Hope no one planned a party around this happening.

I'm embarassed. :blushing: :blushing:
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
over9five......this is so "par for the course" for me. Every time we are on a trip, hubby will point and say..."look, a deer" or "look, a prarie dog". I look as fast as I can and say, "Where?" I always miss it. Now I've missed an entire planet!

If my eyes are bad now, imagine what they'll be like in 5000 yrs. :lol:

Oh well....
 
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