Hooray for Hazel

And from pal Monique...this planetary news.....


>>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. NO ONE ALIVE
>>TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN