|
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.
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.(Plus friends and
other
relatives.)
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY
WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN
|