i started this for fun and for the html practice =).
The Amazing Planet Mars (Mon Aug 11 09:47pm)
Posted by Shell~Shocker in the forums:
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 the year
2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and
perturbs its orbit, astronomers can not 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 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about
3 a.m.
By the end of August when the two planets are closest,
(North American perspective - other time zones and
hemispheres may vary) Mars will rise at nightfall and
reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 a.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.
Kilrathi