from the Web:
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. Never gain in our lifetimes will the Red Planet be so
spectacular. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Due to the ways 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 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.
