Mars Spectacular...

My mom forwarded me this little diddy today. I normally put her forwards directly into the recycling bin. Their heavy christian undertones and overt religous references not only freak me out but make me feel like a heathen. In order to save myself from a guilt ridden afternoon (she's not even catholic)...i delete. Mom, I love you but it's true. Well. she's gotten wise to me and bates me with subject headings that grab my attention. Such topics would include....."giant squid", "employment opportunity", "kitties", "dad's diabetes", etc. Anyway this one was interesting and cool and you should ready it. There's no god involved. Don't be scared.

"The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that 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'sgravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth 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 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."

Her following email was entitled "puppies" (bated again!) and contained fotos such as this.......