Hope there's no clouds this wednesday (Aug 25)
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:50 pm
Stargazers prepare for close encounter with planet Mars
Skywatchers around the world are gearing up for a rare close-up view of planet Mars on Wednesday night.
The journey of the "Red Planet" through the solar system will bring it closer to Earth than at any point in the last 66,000 years.
Scientists at the US space agency NASA say Mars will be just over 54.4 million kilometres from Earth on Wednesday August 27.
The next time the planet will be this close will be on August 28 in the year 2287.
Already, Mars has begun to loom large in the late evening sky, appearing as a rusty twinkle over parts of the US.
For the next few weeks, it should shine brighter than any other celestial body apart from the moon and Venus.
Meanwhile NASA researchers are taking advantage of the Mars pass-by.
They are sending radio waves from Earth antennas to bounce off Mars to study the terrain where one of the two NASA rovers is targeted to land.
NASA's rover team say the Earth-Mars meeting was factored into their mission plan for the two unmanned robots bound for the Martian surface.
The two rovers, named 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity', are nearly halfway to Mars since their separate launches in June and July and a six-month journey to the "Red Planet".
source
Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:1250, old post ID:11014
Skywatchers around the world are gearing up for a rare close-up view of planet Mars on Wednesday night.
The journey of the "Red Planet" through the solar system will bring it closer to Earth than at any point in the last 66,000 years.
Scientists at the US space agency NASA say Mars will be just over 54.4 million kilometres from Earth on Wednesday August 27.
The next time the planet will be this close will be on August 28 in the year 2287.
Already, Mars has begun to loom large in the late evening sky, appearing as a rusty twinkle over parts of the US.
For the next few weeks, it should shine brighter than any other celestial body apart from the moon and Venus.
Meanwhile NASA researchers are taking advantage of the Mars pass-by.
They are sending radio waves from Earth antennas to bounce off Mars to study the terrain where one of the two NASA rovers is targeted to land.
NASA's rover team say the Earth-Mars meeting was factored into their mission plan for the two unmanned robots bound for the Martian surface.
The two rovers, named 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity', are nearly halfway to Mars since their separate launches in June and July and a six-month journey to the "Red Planet".
source
Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:1250, old post ID:11014
