YFZ450Ridr
06-21-2005, 11:31 PM
i got this in an email so im just going to paste what it said instead of retyping all of it..
Mark your calendar for August 17, 2005.
MARS SPECTACULAR!
The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! This month and next,
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.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN!
Mark your calendar for August 17, 2005.
MARS SPECTACULAR!
The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! This month and next,
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.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN!