mars

mars in august...

This month the 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 its highest

point in the sky at 12:30 a.m.

This is 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.

Summer is for stargazing.

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