Subject: MARS SPECTACULAR! NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

     MARS SPECTACULAR!
     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 10
p.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