is planet mars going to come near to mars this month?

Question

sry the question is is planet mars coming close to earth this month?

Answer 1

No. It is on the far side of the sun right now at a distance in excess of 220,000,000 miles and won't even be visible till December 2006, Next close approach is not till December 2007.

You have either read the hoax e-mail going around or heard it repeated as rumours.

That e-mail has done the rounds every August since 2003. August gets called the silly season as there is not much news and so people make news up and recycle old news.

Mars won't even be seen in August. So the issues of big or small, and bright or dim don't arise,

If I can explain?

Mars is on the far side of the sun right now some 220 million miles or more away and won't even be visible again till December. So the story couldn't be much further from the truth and Mars could not be much further from the earth.

Mars was the closest it has been for 60,000 years on 27th August 2003, There won't be another such Very Close Encounter till 2287 but there is a Fairly Close Encounter every 26 months.

An e-mail is going around suggesting that the close approach ("perihelic opposition") of Mars and Earth of 27 August 2003 (see the CNN News story below) will occur THIS 27th August, 2006. It won't!

Such perihelic oppositions occur once every 26 months, The Martian Year is 1.88 Earth Years so when we have done 2 and a bit orbits Mars has done 1 and a bit orbits and we are close together again.

Therefore, after an August 2003 Close Encounter, the next one was in October 2005 and the next Close Encounter after that is not until December 2007,

There is no close approach this year.

Central to the hoax going around is the Baron Von Munchausen attention-grabbing fairy story that Mars will look as big as our Moon. Unlikely and untrue,

Which would you rather believe: an anonymous, unsolicited e-mail or the official NASA website?

I went to NASA's Kids Website which told me:

"View in 2006
Mars begins the year as a moderately bright orange star in the constellation Aries. It will grow fainter through the end of summer, when it will disappear in the Sun's glare. Mars will re-emerge in the morning sky in late December. In March, it will pass quite close to Aldebaran, the star that marks the “eye” of Taurus, the bull. Mars and Aldebaran will look like twins, with near-identical color and brightness."

You don't need to be a genius to work out that if it is getting fainter it is getting further away, and if it is disappearing into the sun's glare that can only be because it is on the far side of the sun from us i.e. Mars' position in its orbit is 180 degrees away from our position in our orbit and we are pretty well the maximum possible distance apart in August 2006.

If you know (and you can easily look this up) that the Martian Year is 1.88 Earth Years then again you don't have to be a genius to work out that the one time it WON'T be near to us is an exact number of twelvemonths since the last-but-one time it was close to us on 27th August 2003, We will be in roughly the same place as we were 3 years ago, but Mars will only have done approx 1,6 orbits (1.5957 in fact) around the sun in that time, which explains why it is now on the far side of the sun and at about the farthest distance away it gets,

The fantastical idea that Mars could possibly look the same size as the Moon can easily be refuted. At its closest approach it is 35 million miles away, whereas the Moon averages 238,000 miles away i.e. the distances are in ratio >140:1.

The diameters are in ratio 2:1 however (Mars has a diameter of 6780 kms and the Moon of 3474 kms) and so the areas of the discs they present to the naked eye are in ratio 4:1 (pi R^2: pi r^2, where R = 2r)

So, think about it: how can the number of arc seconds that Mars' disc presents to the naked eye possibly be the same as the number of arc seconds that the Moon's disc presents? If the disc is 4 times the size of the Moon's disc, Mars would have to be only four times as far away as the Moon, i.e. less than a million miles away, for that to happen.

and

(a) that never happens

(b) If it did happen, you'd soon know about it as giant tidal waves caused by Mars' gravity would sweep the Earth, making the Tsunamai look like a Sunday School picnic.

So not only can you look it up on reputable websites to discover this is nonsense, you can also work it out for yourself that it must be nonsense.

Much closer to the truth is that next March Mars will look about the same size and brightness as Aldebaran, in Taurus, the 13th brightest star in the sky, And they are both red. They will be a matched pair, but Mars and the Moon will never be one.

HERE IS THE STORY CNN CARRIED IN 2003

Earthlings revel in Mars close-up
Planetary approach is nearest in 60,000 years
By Richard Stenger
and Jeordan Legon
CNN
Thursday, August 28, 2003

The last time the red planet was this close to Earth 60,000 years ago, man lived in caves.

No wonder when Mars and Earth synchronized their orbits a few minutes before 6 a.m. EDT Wednesday -- bringing them closer to each other than at any time in recorded history -- thousands of people around the globe went outside to take a peek.

"Knowing that this is once in a lifetime that I can see another planet with the naked eye, yeah, it's great," said Rebecca Horton, a stargazer from Sydney, Australia.

Astronomers say Mars, five times closer now than six months ago, is about 34.6 million miles away, making it the brightest nighttime object except the moon.

"It is possible to get some fairly close encounters every few years," said amateur astronomer Paul Shallow. "It does come around, but not this close."

But with the far-away planet getting so close, some hopeful watchers felt gypped by Mother Nature.

In Oakland, California, where hundreds of space fans paid $11 to attend the Chabot Space & Science Center's "Mars Mania Costume Party," clouds rolled in along with night sky Tuesday. Mars was fogged out, and there were no refunds.

But the good news is that Mars will remain a stunning nighttime attraction for weeks. Most sky watchers can see the planet, presently in the constellation Aquarius, in the southeastern sky soon after sunset, high overhead during the midnight hours and in the southwestern sky before sunrise.

Backyard telescopes may coax features out of the reddish, orange blur, including dark, mottled streaks, which inspired scientists of past centuries to envision intricate canals and advanced Martian civilizations.

The rare configuration of 2003 has stoked renewed, albeit not as fanciful, interest in Mars, which on average cruises 50 million miles farther from the sun than Earth does.

About every 26 months, the two planets pass relatively close to one another, during periods now known as opposition.

What makes this one noteworthy is that Mars, which follows an extremely elliptical or egg-shaped path, is currently at it closest point to the sun during its orbit.

Those two conditions, along with a few obscure celestial variables, have produced an astronomical chance of a lifetime, or several lifetimes actually.

Mars won't pass closer to Earth until 2287, according to astronomers.

Besides awing the curious, the alignment has motivated numerous governments to dispatch missions to the red planet.

Taking advantage of the shorter trip distance, two U.S. and two European probes set off earlier this year, all to arrive at the end of the year.

"Mars fever has caught, not only for amateur astronomers, who are getting their best look at the planet ever and that we'll ever have in our life, but also for professionals, as you know, with the [NASA] Mars Rovers and other spacecraft that are en route," said David Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine."

Final comment from me: those who say "Let's wait and see if its true on August 27th" are deluding themselves, Mankind has been calculating and predicting planetary orbits and positions with increasing precision for 2000 years now, Kepler's 3 Laws of Planetary Motion have been known for 400 years,

So you don't need to wait till 27th August! The answer is known now. And there is no "well, it might be true" uncertainty about it. You can look it up on the NASA and other reputable websites. Taking refuge in "well, it might be true" is really just a way of refusing to admit and acknowledge that you (and thousands of others) have been duped,

If you still believe it "could" still come true, then what you are saying is that Mars will somehow manage to beetle back around half its orbit in ten days, a distance of some 443,950,000 miles, a journey that normally takes Mars 50 weeks to complete! And its maximum orbital velocity is known to be a mere 59,277 mph. Even at maximum speed all the time (which would conflict with Kepler's Laws) that would still take Mars 44.58 weeks! So it isn't going to happen, is it?

Answer 2

There is an email circulating in cyberspace saying that the red planet Mars will be exceptionally close on 27 August (2006). According to one version"It will look like the Earth has two moons".
Once again, this is a good lesson in not believing everything on the Internet. The email is a hoax describing in somewhat exaggerated fashion the events of 2003. On 27 August 2003 Mars was only 55.8 million kilometres away which is almost the closest possible distance it can be from Earth. To the unaided eye it looked like a shining red beacon while through a telescope a small red disc could bee seen with some dark features visible.
In late August this year(2006) Mars is faint and just visible after sunset low in the western sky.

Answer 3

Earth and Mars are currently in oppostion.

The astronomical term for this is 'opposition' where Earth and Mars will be in direct line with the Sun but on opposite sides of the sun. The term for when the sun and planets line up on the same side of the sun is called a conjunction.

There has been a hoax message being circulated for years now that during any particular close approach that the planet Mars will be a big as the full moon in the sky. This is totally false and would never happen.

Mars was closer to us during conjunction than any other time during our orbit around the sun back in 1993. During that pass, the position of Mars was the closes it had been for many years.

Answer 4

Not this August; but on August 27, 2003 the planet Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years. The two worlds, center-to-center, was just 56 million kilometers apart. Mars is currently on the other side of the Sun.

Answer 5

For those of you think they will see something... I really hope you have X-Ray Vision that can see through the sun!

Mars is currently in opposition to the Earth (meaning it is on the OPPOSITE side of the sun from us... we will not be seeing anything. In fact it won't be until almost the end of December of 2007 will we see Mars, and then it will be with the aid of a good telescope or binoculars.

Mars makes its close appearance to Earth, becoming bright and visible in our skies to the naked eye, every two years and two months. But it is not as huge as the moon!!!! What the hoaxers removed was this little phrase:

"when magnified 75 times in a telescope, it looked (in the telescope) the size the Moon looks to the unaided eye."

It was never, nor will it ever be, the size of the moon to the unaided eye in our skies!

Answer 6

Previous answer has got some of it scrambled, though she makes several good points too..

Mars will be visible again when it emerges from the far side of the sun, in December 2006. On December 24th 2007 it will be in conjunction with earth again, as it was in October 2005 and August 2003,

Mars is generally pretty visible varying between -2.9 and 1st magnitude when its not hidden by the sun, so it is not the case then it will be invisible till December 2007. And it is not the case that you will need a telescope or binoculars to see it in December 2007 (that would appy to objects 6th magnitude or fainter). At it at its close point it should be -2.9 magnitude ie brighter than Sirius A, the brightest star in the sky and 7th nearest star to us

Nothing personal, not getting at you, but there is so much disinformation and sheer conjecture and misremembered facts circulating on this subject, I need to correct it when I see it.

Answer 7

before each little thing you could extremely analyze those type of issues formerly you submit them. This has already ensue in 2003. On Aug. 27, 2003 Mars got here interior of 35 million miles of earth and appeared 6 situations more effective and 80 5 situations brighter. even with the undeniable fact that, even then you truthfully could not see it with the bare eye, you had to have a telescope with seventy 5 power magnification. In 2005 it got here very nearly as close yet became 20% smaller. Mars comes this close to to Earth each 15-17 years. the in ordinary words element you acquire precise became that there'll be a lunar eclipse on Aug. 28, 2007 hence some aspects of the international would even see this phemnonmeon even with if it became taking position. also, God obviously states that understand one will observe even as the right of Days initiate. formerly the wars we must have 7-10 years of peace.

Answer 8

No,
You may have heard that the planet Mars is coming rather close to Earth on Aug. 27 – that’s a certified urban legend. It’s not going to happen.
SEE THE LINK

Answer 9

Hi. The answer is no. Mars is on the other side of the sun this year.

Answer 10

That big flap about Mars being brighter than the moon, or looking as large as the moon, or being closer to Earth in 2006 than it's ever been before is a big, fat LIE. Somebody's going around spreading this falsehood, probably through ignorance.

The close approach to Mars to Earth happened on 27 August 2003. Three years ago! If you missed it then, you'll have to wait for the next of Mars' closest passes.

Mars' orbit and Earth's orbit approach each other by a minimum distance of 0.372669 astronomical units. One astronomical unit is equal by definition to exactly 149,597,870,691 meters, which is about equal to 92,955,807 miles. So the orbits of Mars and Earth have a minimum separation of about 34,642,000 miles. In order for this minimum separation to be achieved, both Earth and Mars must be in exactly the right spot in their respective orbits, which is at 330.145 degrees heliocentric longitude for Earth and 330.337 degrees heliocentric longitude for Mars.

The technical way to refer to these passes of Earth by Mars is "Earth and Mars in conjunction with respect to the sun." Another way to say it is "Mars and the sun are in opposition with respect to Earth." It means the same thing, namely, Earth reaching the point in its orbital lap where it passes the slower Mars.

Mars and Earth have a conjunction about every 780 days (on the average). But typically the distance of closest approach is something like 54.8 million miles, which is what it will be on the NEXT conjunction on 18 December 2007. There will be no conjunction in 2006.

But the really close conjunctions occur at intervals of 15 or 17 years - usually. The special thing about the pass in 2003 was the fact that it was marginally closer than any other pass in recorded history. Not spectacularly closer. Only marginally so. It set a record that won't be broken until the year 2208 (and then not by much).

Here are the closest passes between Mars and Earth between 2003 and 2287. (The list includes all minimum approach distances less than about 0.4 AU.)

27 August 2003, 0.3729 AU
30 July 2018, 0.3846 AU
9 September 2035, 0.3805 AU
13 August 2050, 0.3742 AU
17 July 2065, 0.3991 AU
23 September 2067, 0.3970 AU
28 August 2082, 0.3736 AU
31 July 2097, 0.3818 AU
12 September 2114, 0.3831 AU
15 August 2129, 0.3733 AU
19 July 2144, 0.3950 AU
25 September 2146, 0.4012 AU
29 August 2161, 0.3748 AU
2 August 2176, 0.3793 AU
13 September 2193, 0.3861 AU
18 August 2208, 0.3727 AU
22 July 2223, 0.3913 AU
1 September 2240, 0.3763 AU
6 August 2255, 0.3772 AU
15 September 2272, 0.3895 AU
20 August 2287, 0.3726 AU

Mars will be visible at other times, of course. But those are the days when it will be the brightest. But even when Mars is at one of these closest conjunctions, it is still much dimmer than the moon is.

Mars has an apparent magnitude at such times of -2.8. The moon's apparent magnitude, when full, is -12.6. The way the scale is set up, the more largely negative the number is, the brighter it is. Not only that, the scale is logarithmic, with a base equal to the fifth root of 100, or about 2.51186. So the full moon is 8318 times brighter than Mars ever gets.

Nor does Mars' size in our sky ever get anywhere close to the Moon's size. Mars' physical diameter is 6794 kilometers, so at it's nearest possible approach to Earth, it's angular diameter would be 25.14 arcseconds. The moon's angular diameter is about half a degree (it varies slightly), which is 1800 arcseconds. So Mars never gets bigger than about one seventy-first (1/71) of the moon's size.

Mars' orbital elements.
a = 1.523688 AU
e = 0.093405
i = 1.8497 degrees
L = 49.5574 degrees
w = 286.5016 degrees
T = JD 2447385.9

Earth's orbital elements.
a = 1.00000011 AU
e = 0.016761
i = defined zero
L = defined zero
w = 102.846 degrees
T = JD 2446799.26

There's a mathematical procedure to solve for the heliocentric positions of a planet for any time you choose, once you know the planet's orbital elements. You'll find that procedure given in great detail here:

http://www.jabpage.org/posts/trans2.html

After you've solved for the positions of Earth and Mars, each with respect to the sun, you can apply the distance formula (sometimes called the three-dimensional Pythagorean Theorem) to get the distance between Earth and Mars. If you program all that into a computer, you can just flip forward or backward in time until you locate the minimum distances and the associated calendar date.

The "T" number in the orbital element tables is the "time of perihelion passage," the moment when the planet is nearest to the sun. It is customarily given in Julian Date format, which is a rolling count of days since that day in 4004 BC, on which, Bishop Ussher's scholarly Bible research informed him, God created the world.

There are formulas that can convert Julian Date to Calendar Date, or vice versa. But it's probably easier to use somebody else's program, which you can find at

http://wwwmacho.mcmaster.ca/JAVA/JD.html
http://wwwmacho.mcmaster.ca/JAVA/CD.html

Don't believe everything you hear about celestial events. There's always some ignorant yahoo out to impress others with some sort of "special knowledge" that he supposedly has.

Answer 11

this is antensay
yes on this month the amazing thing will happen to earth on agust 27 mars will be as large as moon so dont miss it
a have another qustion can we see it in all part of the world? pleace answer me! my e-mial is [e-mail]