NEWSWATCH33 � The red planet is about to be spectacular! NASA reports that his 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 27 when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles (55,763,108 km) of Earth and will be next to the moon, the brightest object in the 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 easiest spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10 PM and reach its azimuth at about 3:00 AM
By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at night full and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 AM. That�s pretty amazing that our generation gets to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So mark your calendars at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month. Share this with your children and grandchildren. No one alive today will ever see this again.
