Grandmother Spider: When I clicked on the link you provided, I was sent to a post about a Camel's nose. I am guessing that isn't the post you intended. ;)
A friend emailed me this, not sure the source of her info:
EARTH'S ENCOUNTER WITH MARS --- A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!
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. Share this! No one alive today will ever see this again.
Well, I am not sure exactly what some of that lingo means. :?
According to my Farmer's Almanac: Mars will float within the constellation Aquarious, about halfway up the sky for U.S. observers, a little lower for Canadians and most Europeans. Mars will be the brightest thing in the sky with a distinctive yellow-orange color. Mars will readily catch your eye. The final week in August brings a decisive climax, with the closest point reached on the 27th. Then, and through September, Mars is out all night and is able to grab attention even in big cities. This isn't a subtle aurora; no need to get out to the country side to see better.
I hope everyone gets a chance to get out and look at the night sky.
So, this is what Firenze meant in Harry Potter 5 when he said: "In the past decade, the indications have been that Wizard-kind is living through nothing more than a brief calm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shines brightly above us, suggesting that the fight must break out again soon."
I got a good look at Mars while exiting my work the other night. This is significant since I work in a casino just off the Strip in Vegas. Since the Luxor was built (with that damned light!), you can't see anything without going up a mountain and using it to shield your view of the glare from the city. If you need to see something on the other side o/t sky, too damn bad - you get to drive to the other side o/t valley! (I hate that light! Besides, it's so disrespectful to the old Egyptian beliefs - it's meant to represent the soul o/t pharaoh rising from the pyramid. I'm so glad the Luxor's sinking! Ha HA! Anyway.... I guess I should be fair; the massive housing developments going on here have also caused a great deal of light to be created, but that damned pyramid still accounts for most of it.) The point is, that even in the dense light pollution of Las Vegas, we saw Mars clearly. If I can see it in the middle of town, anyone should be able to see it anywhere.
"Once upon a time, Vegas had a sky filled with stars...."
Submitted by Grandmother Spider on Thu, 08/28/2003 - 9:46am.
Last night I took the girls out to see Mars since the night it was absolutely the closest our sky was cloudy, and it was perfectly clear last night. Absolutely no doubt which "star" it was, it was VERY bright, and VERY red!
Very early this morning, the newspaper delivery guys woke us up. I opened my eyes and looked out the window--and there was Mars, clear as a bell. And I can literally see NO stars without my glasses, everything's just a big smudge. Very, very cool.
Grandmother Spider: When I clicked on the link you provided, I was sent to a post about a Camel's nose. I am guessing that isn't the post you intended. ;)
A friend emailed me this, not sure the source of her info:
EARTH'S ENCOUNTER WITH MARS --- A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!
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. Share this! No one alive today will ever see this again.
Well, I am not sure exactly what some of that lingo means. :?
According to my Farmer's Almanac: Mars will float within the constellation Aquarious, about halfway up the sky for U.S. observers, a little lower for Canadians and most Europeans. Mars will be the brightest thing in the sky with a distinctive yellow-orange color. Mars will readily catch your eye. The final week in August brings a decisive climax, with the closest point reached on the 27th. Then, and through September, Mars is out all night and is able to grab attention even in big cities. This isn't a subtle aurora; no need to get out to the country side to see better.
I hope everyone gets a chance to get out and look at the night sky.