FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! 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 October 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 October it will rise in the east at 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of October 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 October to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.

Share this with your family and friends as no one alive today will ever see this again.

Hey Thanks for the heads up on this BB...I'll be there.:Pat.

Communications will not take near as long now:-)

But it's so SMALL. The last time I tried to shoot an astronomical body I only got pinpricks. I guess I need more horsepower than my 15mm lens will provide.

Haha, add a couple 0's on the end of 15 and you might see something similar to what a small housefly leaves behind!

Finally a little justification for that new computerized telescope I've been wanting!

Thanks BB, hope the weather is good for viewing..

Thank-you for the info. Will it be this clear in the southern hemisphere too??? I hope. I've always been an 'amatuer' astronomer. (Minus the brains)

Good to know thanks. Now I gotta get that T adaptor. Where did you find out about this?

My boss emailed me this and now i find it is a hoax for August 2005, but NASA says this...Mark October 31st as the best day of all: Mars will rise at sunset, hang overhead at midnight, and "blaze forth against the dark background of space with a splendor that outshines Sirius and rivals the giant Jupiter himself."

The Nasa website is here.