[pct-l] Re: pct-l Digest, Vol 28, Issue 25

[taurodea at gmail.com (Stephanie)]

Switchback said:
> 
> Also, I am thinking climbing up to Mt. Balden-Powell off the PCT this
> Saturday night (August 27) as the planet Mars will be closest to Earth in the  last
> zillion years or for the next zillion years.  Or I might just climb  something
> around here in Las Vegas.  I guess you have to be lucky with the  cloud
> cover.  It sure would be great to be on top of Mt. Whitney this  Saturday night.
> 
> Anyone doing a Mars expedition this Saturday?
> 
> Your Trail From the Road Explorer,  Switchback

Hey Switchback,

Actually, Mars came close on August 27, 2003. The email that's been
going around about how this year will be *the* year that Mars is the
closest *ever* is an old email from 2003.

If you go up to see it, the difference in brightness will be
imperceptible to the naked eye, so it's still worth going up to see
because every couple of years, Mars *does* swing close by. This year,
the closest it'll be before it takes off again will be in October.

Before August 27, 2003, Mars only got this close to us when our
low-browed Neanderthal counterparts were roaming the Earth. It'll be
that close again in the year 2287.

It's still worth going out to see, though. Take a good telescope or
set of binoculars. It'll still be bright in the sky, and it's still
swinging close - just not that close. Yet. :)

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/allabout/nightsky/nightsky02.html
http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp

Steph



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