Mars!

hissy

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Never again in your (or my) 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. No one alive today will ever see this again.
 

kiwideus

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I can't wait!

I love the solar system! Thanks for the reminder Hissy!
 

dtetrev

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Yippi time to dig out the telescope, thanks for the info.
 

jellybelly

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oooo!! ya are into this also, my husband teases me endlessly whenever I talk to him about these things!!! I told him that I wanted a $2000 plus telescope the next time he wants to buy me something, of course he's unemployed. What's a good telescope anyway?

Here's one of my fav site for info, they also have an interactive chart for the stars, just put in zipcode and timezone, its pretty neat
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...icle_997_1.asp
 

hopehacker

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Will we be able to see it without a telescope. Probably here in Los Angeles, it won't show, because of all of the lights, and either fog or smog in the air.
 
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hissy

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bump for the planet freaks
 

cheeseface

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I don't look at the sky too often, but that sounds pretty cool. I'll have to make sure I check it out.
 
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hissy

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From one freak to another- "You're Welcome!"
 

kateang

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hey guys, would i be able to see it from Singapore??? Could some kind soul tell me??
 
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hissy

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bump
 
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