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August 29, 2005
Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter--but not as close as some people think.
So the other eve Tricia and I get out of the movies and look around for Mars...
Where the heck is it? I saw the moon, it was bright.. but no mars.
You would have thought if it's as big as the moon, how could you miss it.
Well it turns out the email recently passed around about Mars was a hoax.
The real Mars is the brightest star in the sky at about 45 degrees around midnight.
It's directly over head close to sunrise.
I got this straight from Roland
Although closest approach is still months away, Mars is already conspicuous in the early morning. Before the sun comes up, it's the brightest object in the eastern sky, really eye-catching. If you have a telescope, even a small one, point it at Mars. You can see the bright icy South Polar Cap and strange dark markings on the planet's surface.
To read more detail about this see The Mars Hoax Article
Posted by Me on August 29, 2005 12:54 PM