STORM2K

OK.......here we go again, is this legit or bogus? Seems this has been around the web for a LONG time and I got it again

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 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 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 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August 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 August to see Mars grow
progressively brighter and brighter throughout the
month.
Share this with your children and grandchildren

Never mind.......I went to Nasa's jet propolsunion website and it DID happen, 2003

On August 27, 2003, the fourth rock from the sun will be less than 55.76 million kilometers (34.65 million miles) away from the Earth. In comparison to the space between your house and your neighbor's yard, that may seem like a large distance, but Mars was about five times that distance from Earth only six months ago.

I just got it again too.

Yeah, that's always passed around when it comes summertime. I remember getting it last year and having to look it up myself. And don't be surprised if you get it next year, too - they never EVER seem to go away.

I just read that thread about all the new IP address numbers that are now available. I'll be that every one of them already got this story.

Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.

This part never DID happen, and unless we're headed for a planetary cataclysm never will. The story was bogus even in 2003; but it does make the rounds about this time every summer now.

A2K

azsnowman wrote:Never mind.......I went to Nasa's jet propolsunion website and it DID happen, 2003

On August 27, 2003, the fourth rock from the sun will be less than 55.76 million kilometers (34.65 million miles) away from the Earth. In comparison to the space between your house and your neighbor's yard, that may seem like a large distance, but Mars was about five times that distance from Earth only six months ago.

Yup, same as last year
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=66732