[SECC] Planet Mars to be seen closer than in 5000 years

[John Laney]

Hello all:

I am forwarding below a message about Mars approaching the earth this
month.  It was also referred to in the ARRL propagation forecast
bulletin of today.
I thought you all might be glad to have this alert so you can observe it
yourself. 

73,

John, K4BAI.

Subject: 
          [Qcwa] Mars
     Date: 
          Fri, 8 Aug 2003 07:56:55 -0500
     From: 
          "Bob N0UF" <n0uf at kc.rr.com>
 Reply-To: 
          qcwa at mailman.qth.net
       To: 
          "QCWA Reflector" <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>




This would seem to be off topic but, is Mars Bounce possible?

73
Bob N0UF

 CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MARS

  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 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 he 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.

  No one alive today will ever see this again.

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