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Unread 26-10-2005, 00:36
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Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

Horray for interstellar events happening on my birthday!!!

First the War Of The Worlds in 1938 (ok so that was fake and I wasn't born yet, but whatever ) and now this.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051024...eastronomymars

Quote:

Eyes to the sky for the Mars spectacular
Mon Oct 24, 5:49 PM ET
The last time Mars swung so close to Earth, Hindu seers foretold of war, European astrologers predicted love and Germany reported a rash in UFO sightings.

Thus is the spell cast by planetary alignment, so extreme predictions and odd events seem entirely possible this week as Mars and Earth edge together once more.

On Sunday, October 30, the Red Planet will be 69.4 million kilometers (43.1 million miles) from Earth -- a distance that in galactic terms is less than wafer-thin and will not be equalled until 2018.

Skywatchers are rubbing their hands at the opportunity.

In the runup to Sunday, but also for much of November, Mars will appear as a big orangey-yellow "star" in the east, an object so bright that it should be visible in almost any conditions of light pollution, says the US publication Sky & Telescope.

Weather permitting -- on Earth and also on Mars, where there are some worrying signs of an impending dust storm -- anyone with a modest telescope should be able to pick out some of the features that make Mars so special.

According to the French magazine Ciel et Espace, anyone who invests in a small 60mm (two-inch) -diameter telescope, priced in many countries at around 150 euros (180 dollars), should be easily able to spot Syrtis Major, Mars' most recognisable characteristic.

This vast region of cratered plateaux appears as a dark, roughly triangular-shaped tongue whose point heads towards Mars' North Pole.

They should also be able to make out Helas, a vast impact crater that is often covered by whitish mist and is sometimes mistaken for Mars' southern polar icecap.

Invest a couple of thousand euros (dollars) or more to get a telescope with a diametre of 200mm (eight inches) or more -- or go to your nearest observatory or visit an astronomy website -- and some really hunky stuff comes into view.

For size, nothing beats Mons Olympus, 26,000 metres (84,500 feet) high -- the biggest volcano in the Solar System. And Arizona's Grand Canyon would fit snugly inside Valles Marineris -- seven kms (four miles) deep and 200 kms (120 miles) across.

Mars' southern pole, seasonally shrunk by summer heat, will appear as a brilliant white dot. And with luck, one night you may bag Mars' tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, which once were asteroids until they were captured by the Martian gravity.

On August 27, 2003, Earth and Mars were a mere 55.76 million kms (34.65 million miles) apart, the closest in almost 60,000 years.

This time, the planets are slight farther apart, but the viewing prospects are better than in 2003, says the Institute of Celestial Mechanics at the Paris Observatory.

This is because, in 2003, Mars' course barely took it above the horizon for viewers in Earth's northern hemisphere, which meant the image was distorted by light passing through the atmosphere.

Earth, the third planet from the Sun, takes 365 and a quarter days to go around its star. Mars, the fourth planet, takes 687 Earth Days.

That means they come close every 26 months or so. But both planets take a slightly elliptical path around the Sun, and this factor determines precisely how close the flyby will be.

The next time the planets will be closer than in 2003 will be in 2287.
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Last edited by Elgin Clock : 26-10-2005 at 00:39.
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Unread 26-10-2005, 09:58
KenWittlief KenWittlief is offline
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

dont buy a telescope just to look at mars this halloween, you will be greatly dissapointed

compaired to the images you can get for free online from NASA :^)

a $200 telescope is good for looking at the moon, and for stuff like birdwatching, but we have gotten so use to the images sent back from the planetary orbiters, and from Hubble. You really cant see much in the night sky with a small telescope.

Last edited by KenWittlief : 26-10-2005 at 10:20.
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Unread 26-10-2005, 11:33
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

Quote:
Originally Posted by KenWittlief
You really cant see much in the night sky with a small telescope.
What about Jupiter's cloud bands, red spot, and moons? The rings of Saturn? Nebulae, globular clusters, double and triple stars? The occasional comet? There's plenty to see with a small telescope.

Sometimes it's inspiring to see something with your own eyes, even if it's not as spectactular as the color-processed pictures from a multibilliondollar space telescope.
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Unread 26-10-2005, 11:51
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

Quote:
Originally Posted by KenWittlief
dont buy a telescope just to look at mars this halloween, you will be greatly dissapointed

compaired to the images you can get for free online from NASA :^)
I agree with Alan. In particular, seeing Mars even with a small telescope is absolutely amazing and should be one of those things that everyone has a chance to do. There's something to be said for having access to celestial bodies from your front yard -- it's empowering.
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Unread 26-10-2005, 12:05
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

If you have an interest in astronomy but either can't afford a really nice telescope or live in a big city with too much light pollution check out http://www.slooh.com. For $50/year you can watch live "group mission" feeds from a 14" telescope and get commentary about what you are looking at. The $50 also includes 15 minutes of private time that you can use to look at what ever you want. You control the telescope and put in the coordinates. You can buy additional "private time" on the telescopes for $20/15 minutes IIRC. The telescopes are on a remote mountain in the Canary Islands so the time is a little off from the U.S. but perfect to start watching while it is still daylight here. I am sure the "group mission" schedule will be loaded with Mars this weekend. Where else can you rent time on a large remote telescope and watch it in your living room? Check it out, it's pretty neat. I think it is pretty cool that I can sit on my sofa with my laptop connected to the Internet via a wireless network connection and control a big telescope halfway around the world and get a live feed of the telescope image and click a button or two and snap a digital picture of what ever I am looking at. Ain't technology neat!
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Unread 26-10-2005, 12:45
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

I had a $100 refractor with a 3" lens when I was a teenager. I spend many summer nights in my back yard stargazing.

I agree it is awesome to look through a lens at 2AM on a cool summer evening and see things with your own eyes

but what you see though a small telescope is not very spectacular - usually its very fuzzy and very small, even with the highest multiplier lens.

It is something everyone should have the chance to do, but like I said, if you spend $200 just to look at mars next week, you will be dissapointed with what you see.
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Unread 27-10-2005, 13:58
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

this report today has a more realistic description of what you can see with an inexpensive backyard telescope:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027/...dmBHNlYwM3NTM-

This would be a great setup for a practical joke. Get one of those Mars posters from the mall, the ones about 2 feet across

and hang it in a window at a friends house about 2 blocks away. Then invite someone to come over and 'see mars' with your backyard telescope :^)

extra points if you coordinate, and have mars catch fire, or explode, while your guest is watching it through the telescope!

Last edited by KenWittlief : 27-10-2005 at 14:02.
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Unread 27-10-2005, 16:27
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

I got my telescope(80 mm refractor)ready to go for Mars
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Unread 27-10-2005, 18:33
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

I have a 6" Dobsonian, $299, I can see a lot of things that look very great in the telescope. Yes a lot of stuff is fuzzy, but I've gotten shots of Jupiter and it's moon, or Saturn's rings that are sharp enough to cut with. No offense but a $100 refractor doesn't sound all that high quality. Reflectors like my Dobsonian are also better for most things because they take in more light and generally do the magnification cleaner then a lens would.

Then again I'm tired and have a migraine, so I could just be babbling....

Now to be on topic, I saw Mars in 2003 when it was close to Earth and it looked great in my 60mm $150 refractor, I can't wait for the skies to clear up so I can try with the 6" Dob.
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Unread 27-10-2005, 20:57
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Krass
...No offense but a $100 refractor doesn't sound all that high quality. ....
I was pretty good quality actually

back when I bought it

in 1972 :^)
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Unread 27-10-2005, 21:53
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

I apologize, I forgot to factor for the time and inflation and all that....

Anyways, who else is going to take a look at this? I'm gonna try to take some pictures, I wanna see everyone else try too.
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Unread 27-10-2005, 23:13
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

We should pick a time sunday night, and everyone on CD go out and look at Mars at the same time

one of those shared-experience bonding things

if I stare at Mars too long, will I become Marsmerized?
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Unread 27-10-2005, 23:29
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

Quote:
Originally Posted by KenWittlief
if I stare at Mars too long, will I become Marsmerized?
Q: What is red and round and soft in the middle?

A: A Marsmallow!

I'm with Ken. My little 3" refractor was in the $100 range back when it was purchased new in 1969. We got it because I was absolutely convinced that we would be able to see the Apollo landings on the Moon. But $100 back then bought pretty good quality, and it still does quite well. The first time you look through a telescope and see the rings of Saturn or the polar caps of Mars or the southern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis on the Moon with your own eyes, it can be a life-changing experience.

-dave
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Unread 30-10-2005, 19:07
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Re: Earth & Mars to be closer neighbors since 2003 this Sunday. 10/30/05/

Good friend of mine
follows the stars
Venus and Mars are allright tonite!
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