Hi there...

I'm new to this message board, and am glad I joined it... I adore astronomy and have been fascinated by planets and stars ever since I was a little girl...

I have a small question regarding Planet Mars... I'm pretty certain it can't be done, but still... I was told that on August 27th, Mars will be at its closest to Earth, which means we would be able to see it with naked eyes. I was also told that it would appear as if our Moon would have its own moon... Now I took some astronomy classes in College, but I don't remember if that's possible... actually I don't think it's possible, except for the Moon when it comes to its perigee...

If anyone has any infos regarding this phenomenon, that would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks a lot !

This keeps reappearing. Did you notice a year on that post? It was 2003 when it made its closest approach. One misleading thing that appears in this message is that IF you are using a 75 power telescope, it will look as large as a full moon. Most people quoting this don't mention the telescope part.

Anyway, August 2006 is not an especially good time to see Mars. Try Jupiter instead.

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Forming opinions as we speak

Hum,
yeah, these posts keep reappearing.

On August 27th 2003, Mars came within 55,760,000 km, or 0.3727 AU, of the Earth, that was the closest perihelic opposition of Mars in 60000 years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3093693.stm

Currently, Mars is near the red star Regulus, the brightest star in LEO Leo.

edit by antoniseb to change LEO to Leo

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`Irony` actually does mean `metal like`...

Mind your capitalization. You make it sound like Regulus is in low Earth orbit.

Fred

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"For shame, gentlemen, pack your evidence a little better against another time."
-- John Dryden, "The Vindication of The Duke of Guise" 1684

Thanks a lot for your answers... since I'm new to this message board, I didn't know others asked that question awhile ago...

Thanks !

Yes people ask this every August. There is not an easy way for you to find all the previous threads on this though. I think we have it in the FAQ, but not many people start there.

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Forming opinions as we speak

@Nowhere Man
Hum,
tnx, a slip of the fingers.
(but , the constellation is worth shouting about)

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`Irony` actually does mean `metal like`...

By the way, Mars is often visible to the naked eye (it seems it will be very close to the horizon just after sunset in August 2006), but it is a orange-red point of light, not a disk as big as the moon (as the e-mail implied).

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009

Where are your manners people?

Welcome to the Forum Moon Girl.

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