Listers,
Thought you might like this as an excuse to take a
late noght ride in your MG this month to your favorite
romantic sot. Times are EST. Suggested by a science
teacher at my High School.
Thought you might be interested. I WILL BE OUT LOOKING
!!!!!
> CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MARS
> Never again in our lifetime will the Red Planet look
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 this!
>
Jim
69C
70B
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