[pct-l] Fw: Might want to put this on your calendar

[Tortoise73 at charter.net (John Mertes)]

I checked this out previously. The event happened in 2003 so we years late.

John

larry hillberg wrote:
> Does anyone know if the attached is true?  If so, the
> folks on our western mountain crests are due for some
> mighty special nights this year.
> 
> I'll never forget one night on the PCT, a day or so
> north of Hyatt Lake, sans tent and flat on my back,
> watching the Perseid meteors streak overhead.
> 
> Larry H
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------
> 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.
> 
> Share this with your children and grandchildren. NO
> ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN!
> 
>>
> 
> 
> 
> 		
> ____________________________________________________ 
> Yahoo! Sports 
> Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football 
> http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>