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IF You like Astronomy - 6/13/2005 10:50:58 PM

knees2you

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This might of interest to anyone who likes to watch the stars!
Subject: The Red planet

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 zenith 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.

".'..

Share this with your children and grandchildren. NO
ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

From a friend~~

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/14/2005 2:17:57 AM

fencerpet19

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Hi there,
sorry to break it to you, but your info is about 2 years old. Mar's closest opposition/perihelion in history was in 2003. I got a chance to see it at a sky party on August 28th through a telescope, and it was big and beautiful and just awe-inspiring. You could even see the ice caps on it! But I regret to say it's already passed. However, the Perseid meteor shower is coming up. If I recall correctly, the peak is around August 12th and there's about 50 meteors in an hour, so you can still check that out

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/14/2005 5:08:10 AM

DesertRat

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Old info or not, I take issue with the statement that Mars will appear as large as the full moon to the naked eye. If it ever gets that close, I'm gonna build myself a set of wings and fly there!!

Bob

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/14/2005 6:41:36 AM

kisshou

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fencerpet19

thanks for the information! Can the Perseid meteor shower be seen from anywhere ( I live in Florida)? Can it be seen with the naked eye or does it require a telescope? Do you need to be looking in a certain direction? Any more information you have I would appreciate.

Thanks!

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/14/2005 6:59:07 AM

ScooterTrash

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OK, this peeked my interest. Yes, fencerpet was correct that in 2003 on the date you mentioned it was around 56 million miles away. It looks like this year (2005) it (closest)would be around October 31st (roughly) and be be 69 Million miles away. I found this interesting link of an animated orbit for anyone interested.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mars/mars_orbit.html

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/14/2005 7:26:11 AM

AlphaGeek

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also in the news today....

If you could see 15 light years with the same clarity as gazing upon out closest neighbor...

Astronomers announced the discovery if the first near earth sized extrasolar planet orbiting Gliese 876. It's roughly 6 times the size of earth, much smaller then the huge gas giants they've been finding so far.

They estimate the surface temperature to be bewteen 400 and 750 degrees Fahrenheit. The yahoo article ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050614/ap_on_sc/new_planet;_ylt=AnZ.2tqbG5Fb_n_h2crUM.ms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2aWxpajE2BHNlYwNzYw-- )

says that's too hot for life as we know it, but how warm is it down on those hydrothermal vents in the ocean depths?

Ok, Mr Rutan, you have a new target! ;-)

AG

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/14/2005 8:50:55 AM

onceburned

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quote:

ORIGINAL: kisshou
Can the Perseid meteor shower be seen from anywhere ( I live in Florida)? Can it be seen with the naked eye or does it require a telescope? Do you need to be looking in a certain direction? Any more information you have I would appreciate.

quote:

How can I best view a meteor shower?

If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate.
<snip> Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast around 11 p.m. in mid-August.

After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites.

Once you have settled at your observing spot, lay back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with the stars and sky filling your field of view. Meteors will instantly grab your attention as they streak by.
<snip>
What should I pack for meteor watching?

Treat meteor watching like you would the 4th of July fireworks. Pack comfortable chairs, bug spray, food and drinks, blankets, plus a red-filtered flashlight for reading maps and charts without ruining your night vision. Binoculars are not necessary. Your eyes will do just fine.

http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/

You can find the Perseid constellation more easily by looking at a sky map of your area. This can be produced here: http://space.about.com/library/weekly/blskymaps.htm

Sadly, the Perseid meteors are best viewed in the early morning hours (say around 3 am) but they are viewable an hour or two after sunset.

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/15/2005 1:14:31 AM

fencerpet19

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kisshou~
the meteor shower lasts about 4 1/2 days with it's peak right around the 12th (at that time it'll be 50 meteors an hour... less before and after that time) You should be able to see it pretty well... the meteors radiate from the constellation Persius which should be located low near the horizon near the constellation Cassiopeia (the one that looks like a "W"). You shouldn't use a telescope or binoculars or anything except your own two eyes. Basically, after a few minutes of staring up you'll be able to tell which direction they're coming from.

You're pretty much guarenteed to see at least a few shooting stars if you're outside at night on the 12th of August, but it's a good idea to be in an area where there aren't too many lights around so you can see the stars better. *grin* I like to use the meteor showers as an excuse to get a guy outside on a picnic blanket with me late at night in the middle of nowhere, works like a charm! Hope that helps :) you'll probably hear more about the meteor shower on the news the day of the peak... And if you happen to miss the Perseids, the next one would be the Orionids on October 21st, but you only get about 25 an hour at the peak for those. Have a good one!
~fp

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RE: IF You like Astronomy - 6/15/2005 5:19:17 AM

kisshou

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Thank you so much!!, I can hardly wait. I am going to go out tonight and look for Cassiopeia. I know where the big dipper is :) I am thinking of begging the Owner to let us do this as an outing because of course for every shooting star we see, we get a wish

**imagination runs riot** grins!

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