I wanted to see it...I thought it was this month. Am I wrong?
Jax430
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
That e-mail that was going around recently was from two years ago. Mars will be well visible in October, but not nearly as good as it was at this time two years ago.
glinda_goodwitch
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
Yes, two years ago it was amazing! FH is an astronmer, so we went to see it at an observatory. It's funny, because in MD that email got around as well.
oneday
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
Really? It's an old email?! Damn!!!! I have been looking all month!!! Stupid email...
BMD'sPeanut
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
Posted by oneday
Really? It's an old email?! Damn!!!! I have been looking all month!!! Stupid email...
Me too I heard it was for the end of August anyway.
Jax430
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
Posted by oneday
Really? It's an old email?! Damn!!!! I have been looking all month!!! Stupid email...
I was really excited when I first got the e-mail too, and then someone told me it was outdated.
Here is the article on snopes.com that says it isn't true right now:
Can someone e-mail me the letter they received? I will FM you my e-mail address. I had an argument with someone the other night about this because I remember this from a few years ago! I thought I was losing my mind
evnme
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
fh and i saw it last night. so yes, mars is visible now
Jax430
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
Posted by evnme
fh and i saw it last night. so yes, mars is visible now
well, mars is always visible, like an orange dot, but it is not visible to the degree stated in the e-mails that have been forwarded lately.
Jax430
Posted:
Member since
Re: Shouldn't Mars be visible by now?
Felice, this is the e-mail that I got
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.
