> CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MARS > > 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 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 he 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. > Clay Blackwell Lynchburg, VA
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