(no subject)
(the minute i first heard her, i liked her already)
anyway, here's something i found up on my friendster bulletin board:
MARS comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth andwill be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky
Starting in August, Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.
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.
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 Earth and Mars are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest
point in the sky at 12:30a.m.
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.
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. And be sure to watch the sky on August 27th. It will look like the Earth has two moons!
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.
hmm.. what say you? whether or not this is something that we'll all get to enjoy first-hand, it's still a good thing i got that lovely banig a few weeks back.. i had to replace the old one that got broken and eventually misplaced.. tralalaa =)