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Close Encounter with Mars (mark your calendar)

B

Brutuskend

Lifer

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. 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 the 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.
Link stolen from locked double post Thanks YamahaXS
second link THANKS to YamahaXS

 
so, wouldn't that mean now would be a pretty good time to try and land something on Mars?

what happens if Mars keeps coming closer :Q
 
*Watches all the space dorks spring a boner and then unload themselves without even touching, followed by a childing wheezing giggle at the sight of an exciting space event*

(joking, by the way. I'd like to see it myself)
 
Everybody sell all your earthly belongings to buy marshmallows and cheese puffs in preparation for the arrival of the martians!
 
I don't mean to crap, because I do think this is pretty cool, and I've been watching it for a while now, but it seems like they say this almost every year. It's kind of a running joke here at the house🙂
 
Originally posted by: lirion
I don't mean to crap, because I do think this is pretty cool, and I've been watching it for a while now, but it seems like they say this almost every year. It's kind of a running joke here at the house🙂
Click to expand...
about Mars? they always say something's happening that will be a once in a lifetime thing but this is the first time I've heard about Mars.
 
Even with the naked eye it been a great site on any clear night/early morning. Just look towards the moon an find the brightist redish objest near by.

 
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