Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mars -- closer to our planet than it’s been in nearly 60,000 years.

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Topic: Mars -- closer to our planet than it’s been in nearly 60,000 years.

Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 08-01-2003 04:50 AM

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html

Some email:

quote:

Subject: MARS....a once in a lifetime event!

Never again in our lifetimes will the Red Planet be so spectacular! 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 ways Jupiters 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. 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. Share this! No one alive today will ever see this again.

It'll be nice and bright at the drive-in. Yippee! [Frown]

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Sam Hunter
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 779
From: West Monroe, LA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-01-2003 08:30 AM

Does this mean there might be an invasion by the Martians?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 08-01-2003 08:23 PM

We really should go to Mars now. We don't have anything better to do.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-01-2003 09:11 PM

OK, I volunteer Joe to be the first one to go.
Mark

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 08-01-2003 09:14 PM

Alright. Where's the ship?

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-04-2003 02:43 AM

I wish mars would move farther back again. They are playing their car radios SO loud.

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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 08-04-2003 06:14 AM

I wonder if they serve Red Martini's in their pub's.

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