[LeArc] Night Sky...

[Tony Coniglio]

      >>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





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