Post #47388 by martiki on Mon, Aug 11, 2003 5:36 PM

Also just got this email:

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 Mar 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.