Jump to content

Mars is coming


Science Abuse

Recommended Posts

 

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

Neato

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beware the Mars Hoax

 

7.07.2005

 

Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter--but not as close as some people think.

 

+ Play Audio | + Download Audio | + Historia en Español | + Email to a friend | + Join mailing list

 

 

July 7, 2005: Just when you thought it was safe to read your email....

 

There's a rumor about Mars going around the internet. Here are some snippets from a widely-circulated email message:

 

"The Red Planet is about to be spectacular."

 

"Earth is catching up with Mars [for] the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history."

 

"On August 27th … Mars will look as large as the full moon."

 

And finally, "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN."

 

Only the first sentence is true. The Red Planet is about to be spectacular. The rest is a hoax.

 

Here are the facts: Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter this year on October 30th at 0319 Universal Time. Distance: 69 million kilometers. To the unaided eye, Mars will look like a bright red star, a pinprick of light, certainly not as wide as the full Moon.

 

Sign up for EXPRESS SCIENCE NEWS delivery

 

Disappointed? Don't be. If Mars did come close enough to rival the Moon, its gravity would alter Earth's orbit and raise terrible tides.

 

Sixty-nine million km is good. At that distance, Mars shines brighter than anything else in the sky except the Sun, the Moon and Venus. The visual magnitude of Mars on Oct. 30, 2005, will be -2.3. Even inattentive sky watchers will notice it, rising at sundown and soaring overhead at midnight.

 

You might remember another encounter with Mars, about two years ago, on August 27, 2003. That was the closest in recorded history, by a whisker, and millions of people watched as the distance between Mars and Earth shrunk to 56 million km. This October's encounter, at 69 million km, is similar. To casual observers, Mars will seem about as bright and beautiful in 2005 as it was in 2003.

 

Although closest approach is still months away, Mars is already conspicuous in the early morning. Before the sun comes up, it's the brightest object in the eastern sky, really eye-catching. If you have a telescope, even a small one, point it at Mars. You can see the bright icy South Polar Cap and strange dark markings on the planet's surface.

 

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/07jul_marshoax.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dont be mean ben, I didn't write the shit. Fuck sake, I try to spread some joy and the white man slaps me down. :(

 

 

Ahahaha!!!!!! You know you would've put the smack down on me just as hard if the positions were switched. Oooo... All this talk about smacking and positions...

 

;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gotta be careful hitting that shit Johnny Bravo. Make sure to wrap it. You might end up with one of these:

 

http://www.roger-one.net/pix/Galeries/pix6/part1/bebe_ewok.jpg

 

 

I'll give you 3 or more. I'm so fretile I can stand next to a girl and get her pregent. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol why do people keep running that same stupid story around the internet? Mars was as close as its gonna get for 60K years in 2003. Now that was a nice year to view mars. won't be any more like it in our lives. I spent nearly every evening out with my telescope at hoover resourvor looking at it and letting boaters take a look.

 

Evan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...