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- The Red Planet is about to be
spectacular!
We will never
see this again in our lifetime...
nor will the
people of the next 50-to-1,000 Life Times!
Mars
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-po wer 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.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN
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According to
"Snopes", the above story is false. And this
story has been sent out several times and years
before. Very interesting! |
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