A Mars Spectacular Phenomenon
i thought this already happened last year???
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 preturbs 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.
By August 27, 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 10 p.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 12:30 a. 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 progessively brighter and brighter throughout the
month.
and then, the best part of this "news":
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN.
hahaha!:p
