Friday, August 26, 2005
Mars Spectacular ~ partly true
I've received the following email a couple of times from friends of mine, and so thought to get the details for myself. I found out that it's an email recycled from Aug. of 2003. Apparently, this really did happen in 2003. But there is still some truth to it, Mars will be spectacular again, but October will actually be the best time to see Mars, as Earth closes the gap between us, at an astonishing 23,500 mph!
***Below is the email going around...
Mars
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
***Here's the REAL scoop from Urban Legends...
'Mars Spectacular' on August 27?
According to a forwarded email circulating for the past few months, the planet Mars is due for an unprecedented close encounter with Earth on Saturday, August 27, when a wobble in its orbit brings the two planets closer together than they have been for thousands of years. "No one alive today will ever see this again," claims the email — which is a head-scratcher, considering that precisely the same thing supposedly happened two years ago.
Turns out, the message is a recycled flier from 2003. Even so, it's not entirely false. Earth and Mars will pass very close to one another again in October (not August) 2005, astronomers say, at which time their orbits will be a mere 43 million miles apart (slightly more than the 35 million miles separating them in 2003). It won't quite equal the once-in-a-lifetime show of two years ago, but the enounter will be "breathtaking" nonetheless, scientists predict, with the red planet outshining every object in the night sky save Venus and the Moon. More from Space Guide Nick Greene...
***Below is the email going around...
Mars
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
***Here's the REAL scoop from Urban Legends...
'Mars Spectacular' on August 27?
According to a forwarded email circulating for the past few months, the planet Mars is due for an unprecedented close encounter with Earth on Saturday, August 27, when a wobble in its orbit brings the two planets closer together than they have been for thousands of years. "No one alive today will ever see this again," claims the email — which is a head-scratcher, considering that precisely the same thing supposedly happened two years ago.
Turns out, the message is a recycled flier from 2003. Even so, it's not entirely false. Earth and Mars will pass very close to one another again in October (not August) 2005, astronomers say, at which time their orbits will be a mere 43 million miles apart (slightly more than the 35 million miles separating them in 2003). It won't quite equal the once-in-a-lifetime show of two years ago, but the enounter will be "breathtaking" nonetheless, scientists predict, with the red planet outshining every object in the night sky save Venus and the Moon. More from Space Guide Nick Greene...
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I'm glad that you posted that. We got that email and now we have the true scoop. Oh well, somehow we missed that 2 years ago! I guess we will have to watch the October sky.
Love and shalom,
Serena
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Love and shalom,
Serena
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