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Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
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Observatory set for Mars encounter
August 22, 2003
CARROLLTON, GA - The University of West Georgia Observatory is set to help the public experience Earth’s encounter with Mars. The Red Planet’s rendezvous with Earth on Wednesday, Aug. 27, will be the closest the two planets have converged in about 60,000 years.
Community
members can experience the event at special viewings at the West Georgia
Observatory on Aug. 26 and 27, hosted by Dr. Bob Powell, observatory director.
On Wednesday, Aug. 27, Mars will be less than 34.65 million miles from Earth. While this distance is hard to fathom, in terms of the solar system it is minute. The last time Mars was so close to Earth’s atmosphere was 57,617 B.C.
“If Neanderthals had telescopes, they would have seen it a little better than we will on August 27,” the Reuters news service web site reported Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory as saying.
Mars viewers will witness a phenomenon known as “perihelic opposition.” NASA’s web site explains the term perihelic as meaning a planet, in this case Mars, being at its closest to the Sun. Opposition means that Mars, Earth and the Sun are all in a straight line, with Earth in the middle. The combination of these two events results in Earth and Mars being in close proximity. For more information on this astronomical event, visit www.nasa.gov.
The West Georgia Observatory will be open to the public on Aug. 26 and 27 from 9 to 11 p.m. Viewing conditions are contingent on if the sky is clear. The observatory hosts monthly public viewings during the academic year. Future fall 2003 viewings will be Sept. 8, 8:30-10 p.m.; Oct. 20, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Nov. 3, 7-8 p.m., and Dec. 8, 7-8 p.m.
In addition, special viewings for community groups, church groups and science classes can be arranged. For more information, visit www.westga.edu/~physics/observ.htm or contact Powell at 770-836-4316.
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