Mars To Get Closest In

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Would this have any effect on our birth charts?

 

Gurpinder.

 

 

 

Mars To Get Closest In

Recorded History In 2003

By Joe Rao

SPACE.com

11-8-2

 

Mars recently emerged into the morning sky and has begun an

orbital dance with Earth that will, over the next several months,

lead to the best viewing opportunity since Neanderthals looked

skyward.

 

We're not kidding.

 

To get ready for this momentous skywatching event, now would be a

fine time to reacquaint yourself with the Red Planet. All during

the summer of 2002 Mars was pretty much out of view because of its

close proximity to the Sun. But during the latter part of

September it began to emerge back into view in the morning sky and

is in full view, though for now it appears rather small in the sky

and low on the horizon.

 

However, this is only the beginning of what will turn out to be

the most dramatic and spectacular Mars apparition you or any of

your ancestors has ever had a chance to see.

 

The Red Planet is getting progressively closer to Earth with each

passing night, and consequently it will slowly appear to grow

larger and brighter. By late August 2003, when it will be about

191 million miles closer, the reddish point of light in our night

sky will appear more than six times larger and shine some 85 times

brighter than it appears now.

 

At 5:51 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27, 2003, Mars will be within 34,646,488

miles (55,746,199 kilometers) of Earth. This will be the closest

that Mars has come to our planet in about 73,000 years, based on

detailed computations by Jean Meeus of Belgium.

 

Meeus is a world-renowned expert in the field of spherical and

mathematical astronomy. He has written many highly acclaimed books

dealing with a variety of astronomical calculations. His most

recent book, "More Mathematical Astronomy Morsels" (Willmann-Bell,

Inc., 2002) contains a chapter on Mars' Closest Approaches to

Earth.

 

Here's what happens:

 

On Aug. 28, 2003, Mars will be at "opposition," the moment when

the Sun, Earth and Mars will form a straight line; since we are

closer to the Sun than Mars, this is also when we are overtaking

Mars in our respective orbits.

 

Mars comes to opposition about every 26 months. But because of the

elliptical orbits of Earth and Mars, not all oppositions are

created equal. The 2003 opposition will be superior to all the

others because Mars will be very near to its closest point to the

Sun, called perihelion, when it arrives at opposition.

 

Such "perihelic oppositions" of Mars are in themselves, rather

infrequent, occurring about every 15 to 17 years. The most recent

one took place in September 1988, when Mars passed to within 36.5

million miles (58.7 million kilometers) of Earth.

 

Though Mars' opposition comes comes on Aug. 28, it will be closest

to Earth on Aug. 27.

 

At the close approach, the Red Planet will be brighter than

Jupiter and all the stars in the night sky, outshone only by Venus

and the Moon.

 

2002 SPACE.com.