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EE
Joined: 16 Jun 2026 Posts: 134 Location: Paranaque City, Phils.	Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2026 10:48 am    Post subject: Don't Miss Mars This August!!!   Hi all, I got this from someone, and I think it's worth sharing with everyone. This is our chance to enjoy astronomy with our children and be part of history at the same time! The last time inhabitants on earth had this opportunity was probably 60,000 years ago! EE Quote: Never again in your lifetime will Mars, A.K.A. the Red Planet be so spectacular! In August, the Earth and Mars 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. The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles 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, Mars will rise in the East at 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m. But 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 12:30 a.m. That's pretty convenient when it comes to seeing something that no human 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 with your children and grandchildren. No one alive today will ever see this again.
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EE
Joined: 16 Jun 2026 Posts: 134 Location: Paranaque City, Phils.	Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2026 10:52 am    Post subject:   For a moment there I realized that this might be a hoax, so I tried to get some confirmation on this. It turned out to be true after all (sorry for my lack of faith in you, MC)! Below is a press release of NASA from one of their sites! EE Quote: Living too close to a neighbor may not be very appealing, but when Earth's neighboring red planet moves closer than it's been in 60,000 years, observers expect nothing but acclaim. Scientists and amateur astronomers will benefit from the spectacular view of Mars this August as it appears bigger and brighter than ever before, revealing its reflective south polar cap and whirling dust clouds. On August 27, 2003, the fourth rock from the sun will be less than 55.76 million kilometers (34.65 million miles) away from the Earth. In comparison to the space between your house and your neighbor's yard, that may seem like a large distance, but Mars was about five times that distance from Earth only six months ago. "Think of Earth and Mars as two race cars going around a track," said Dr. Myles Standish, an astronomer from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Earth is on a race track that is inside the track that Mars goes around, and neither track is perfectly circular. There is one place where the two race tracks are closest together. When Earth and Mars are at that place simultaneously, it is an unusually close approach, referred to as a 'perihelic opposition'." Opposition is a term used when Earth and another planet are lined up in the same direction from the Sun. The term perihelic comes from perihelion, the point of orbit in which a celestial body is closest to the Sun. This August, Mars will reach its perihelion and be in line with Earth and the Sun at the same time. The average opposition occurs about every two years, when Earth laps Mars on its orbit around the Sun. In 1995, the opposition brought Mars 101.1 million kilometers (62.8 million miles) from the Earth, twice as far as this most recent approach. This composite image of Earth and Mars was created to allow viewers to gain a better understanding of the relitive sizes of the two planets. "It gets more complicated as the race tracks are changing shape and size and are rotating, changing their orientation," Standish explains. "So this place where the two tracks are closest together constantly changes, changing the opposition closeness as well. This is why a 'great' approach, like the one this month, hasn't happened in 50,000 years. But with the tracks closer together now, there will be even closer approaches in the relatively near future." Aside from visiting a local observatory, peering through a telescope is the best way to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Since June, Mars has been noticeably bright in the night's sky, only outshined by Venus and the Moon. Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will see it glowing remarkably in the southern sky lying in the constellation Aquarius, best seen just before dawn. "You're not going to go outside and see some big red ball in the sky. It will look like a bright red star," said Standish. The word 'planet' is derived from the Greek expression for 'wanderer.' At such a close distance, Mars remains true to this expectation as it consistently wanders across the night's sky. Tracking the "red star's" movement from week to week is yet another way to appreciate this rare occasion, since Mars appears to dart across the sky in comparison to more distant planets, such as Jupiter. Although Mars will be closest on August 27, astronomers suggest viewing the planet earlier, as dust storm season is just beginning on the red planet and can obstruct a more detailed view. Whether you are viewing through a telescope, glancing through a pair of binoculars, or star-gazing outside the city, be sure to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for Mars will not make another neighborly visit this close until 2287.
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Kokak Kokak
Guest	Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2026 8:40 pm    Post subject:   Hope no typhoons come our way on the 27th...
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Calmloser
Joined: 06 Aug 2026 Posts: 10	Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2026 12:41 pm    Post subject:   It's now August and somehow this important astronomical event is not getting its due promotions. This is once in a lifetime feast on our eyes and we should be thankful that we will be sharing this moment with our kids and younger generation.. Does anyone among us know the Philippine time with respect to the red planet showing up? Or are those times and date indicated in the news and msg posted Philippine-based already?
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Pagasa
Guest	Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2026 1:54 pm    Post subject:   Calmloser, Here's what I read: 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. I'm planning to go outside every night. Maulan ngayon so hindi ko na hihintayin ang Aug 27. By this time it's supposed to be very bright already. Pagasa
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Guest
	Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2026 2:03 pm    Post subject:   check www.earthsky.com for more info.
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EE
Joined: 16 Jun 2026 Posts: 134 Location: Paranaque City, Phils.	Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2026 10:22 am    Post subject:   Hi all, By this time, most of us must have seen Mars in the sky already. If you haven't yet, just take a look eastward at around 10 PM, and Mars will be there shining for you. Even through the naked eye, Mars is a sight to behold. It is orange in color and is like a very big star. The fact that it's over a solid black background makes it even more majestic. Attached is a photo that we took using an ordinary digital camera (no zoom). It doesn't do justice to the beauty of Mars nowadays, but I'm showing it just to illustrate how bright it has become in the sky - bright enough to appear in an ordinary camera. EE
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