please tell me if the planet mars is encountering with planet earth this august 27 2007? i got an email and i spread it to everyone but now i am confused it wont happen bc i think it happened last year or something. is it happening on aug 27 2007???
2007-08-26 04:26:22 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The point of Mars’ closest approach to the Earth is known as opposition. The length of time between successive oppositions, or the Synodic period, is 780 days. Because of the eccentricities of the orbits, the times of opposition and minimum distance can differ by up to 8.5 days. The minimum distance varies between about 55 and 100 million km due to the planets' elliptical orbits. The next Mars opposition will occur on December 24, 2007.
On August 27, 2003, at 9:51:13 UT, Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years: 55,758,006 km (approximately 35 million miles). This occurred when Mars was one day from opposition and about three days from its perihelion, making Mars particularly easy to see from Earth. The last time it came so close is estimated to have been on September 12, 57,617 BC., the next time being in 2287. However, this record approach was only very slightly closer than other recent close approaches. For instance, the minimum distance on August 22, 1924 was 0.37284 AU, compared to 0.37271 AU on August 27, 2003, and the minimum distance on August 24, 2208 will be 0.37278 AU. The orbital changes of Earth and Mars are making the approaches nearer: the 2003 record will be bettered 22 times by the year 4000.
2007-08-26 05:05:16 · answer #1 · answered by Jim E 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
So you´re the one that´s been spreading those fake emails around... Grrr. Do a little investigating before to clog up the internet. Like go to cnn.com. Don´t you think they would have carried the story if it was true? It isn´t true anyway. Spread THAT around to everyone you emailed... Here´s what Mars really looks like now (and tomorrow and for the next few months):
http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/wspace?tbody=499&vbody=399&month=8&day=26&year=2007&hour=00&minute=00&fovmul=1&rfov=2&bfov=30&porbs=1&showsc=1
2007-08-26 13:43:00 · answer #2 · answered by DrAnders_pHd 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
AHHHHH! It happened like 3 years ago and there was no "encounter" it just got a lot closer than usual and it was just kinda bright in the sky, it wasn't as big as the moon or anything it just looked like a bright star! And every year since people have sent the same stupid email around and then this same question gets asked on yahoo answers and now you've just spread it to everyone too now they are going to come on here and ask too but not before they forward it to everyone they know!
2007-08-26 11:40:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
it will be very close to earth, it happens periodically (both of them orbit around the sun, no ?)
but it will be millions of Km away, as always, so it will be just a little red spot in the sky, ad very low on the horizon, you will se it just near Aldebaran in the constellation of the Taurus.
2007-08-26 11:37:41 · answer #4 · answered by scientific_boy3434 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
But not the way the email says about it being larger than the moon.
2007-08-26 11:31:00 · answer #5 · answered by Bob D 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Yes, Mars will be the closest it has been to Earth in recorded history. It should be visible as a kind of red star.
2007-08-26 11:34:31 · answer #6 · answered by fangtaiyang 7 · 1⤊ 6⤋
yes , it is going to happen on 27aug07 it happend last year it looks as if earth has two moon ?? enjoy seeing it
2007-08-26 11:31:50 · answer #7 · answered by {\}@\_/EE{\}/-\ 2 · 0⤊ 5⤋