[SOC] Fw: Mars

[Bob N0UF]

CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MARS

 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.
 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 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.

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 No one alive today will ever see this again.