I just recieved a message from my aunt. (who works for NASA).
It goes as follows:
"This may be worth noting-
The next time mars may may come this close is in the year 2287.
Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and pertubs 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 n 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 10pm. and reach its azimuth at about 3am. 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 12:30am.
That's pretty convenient when it comes to seeing something that no human has seen in recorded history. Mark your calander at the begining of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter throughout the month. No one alive today will ever see this again."
I thought this was pretty cool and had to share it with everyone here!
Amberstar
Mars
