Keith234
Storm Chaser
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Posts: 921
Loc: 40.7N/73.3W Long Island
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I thought this might be of some interest to some
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 2511 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75 power magnification.
Mars will look as large as the full mooon 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 am.
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 am. 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.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN.
Could this have an effect on the tides? If so, imagine the increased storm surge potential for hurricanes.
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"I became insane with horrible periods of sanity"
Edgar Allan Poe
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Jamiewx
Storm Tracker
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Posts: 371
Loc: Orlando, Florida
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Red Planet to light up sky? No, it's a hoax
By ANSLEY HAMAN
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Fooled by an Internet hoax, many Americans are planning to grab lawn chairs and watch for Mars to be as big as the moon in the night sky Aug. 27.
"Share this with your children and grandchildren," says the e-mail fueling the hoax. "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN."
At least one magazine, Backpacker, was tricked into publishing a brief news item about the event. Headlined "Mars Spectacular," it cited the Aug. 27 viewing in its September issue. Editors at the publication did not respond to questions about the article.
Kevin Jung, president of the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Amateur Astronomical Association, posted a warning about the hoax on the group's main Web page in response to a large number of inquiries.
"Even my aunts were asking about it," Jung said.
It was actually Aug. 27, 2003, when Mars was at its closest distance to Earth in 60,000 years, said Todd Bayer of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The next such close encounter will be in 2287.
Mars was bright in 2003, but it didn't look as big as a full moon, Bayer said. For that to occur, Mars would have to be millions of miles closer to Earth.
"That would be scary," Bayer said.
Jane Platt, a spokeswoman for the Jet Propulsion Lab, said her friends had mentioned the e-mail hoax and possibility of an August alignment. She sent them to www.snopes.com to debunk the myth. The Web site, an "urban legends reference," lists the myth in the "science" section, near the bottom.
Mars will pass close to Earth this year, but not until Oct. 30, when it will appear smaller compared with the moon than it did in 2003, according to NASA reports.
Even so, October's encounter could be a better show for amateur astronomers, Jung said. Mars will be higher in the sky, with less atmospheric interference.
August will be an active month for Mars research, however, as the lab planned to launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter today. The craft will be responsible for high-resolution imaging of the planet's surface and other experiments, Bayer said.
"It's like a camera, but it sees in many, many fine gradations of color," Bayer said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/236064_marshoax11.html
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"Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get"
- Robert A. Heinlein
Edited by Jamiewx (Fri Aug 12 2005 11:42 PM)
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