No One Alive Will Ever See This Again!!!!
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 it s 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.
excellent!!
for those unfortunate people without a telescope or any optical magnification at all, how visible will it be to the naked eye? will we see anything worthwhile?
also is there any advantage to different locations on the planet, for viewing?
maybe i will look for a local astronomy association =)
This event will be a must see. In most cities, there are planetariums or astronomer societies that love sharing thier plethora of knowledge with untrained keeners. Look em up, give em a ring, and most would be happy to help you out. So you might have to endure an hour or so of technical gobledegook, oh well. It’s worth it to experience something this amazing.
Also, you don’t necessarily need a telescope; binoculars will work as well.
Hope you get to see it…