OK you did your cut and paste but what the hell is
magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide?
Daniel
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
clintonr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 6:47 PM
To: olympus
Subject: [OM] Get your umbrellas ready....
Sharpen up your astro-techniques!
> 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. MAYBE !
>
> 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 ( opera glasses ) Mars will
look as
> large as the full moon to he naked eye.
>
> Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August, Mars 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.
>
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