check out the link. the pics are worth it. http://www.msnbc.com/news/947131.asp It’s prime time for the Red Planet Mars heads for its very close encounter with Earth this month. Just ahead of a historically close approach to Earth later in August, Mars has become the “star” of the night. FOR MONTHS VISIBLE only during morning hours, the Red Planet began August rising around 9:45 or 10 p.m. local daylight time and peeks above the horizon about four minutes earlier each night. Mars is now the third-brightest object in the nighttime sky, after the moon and Venus. To the unaided eye, Mars is by far the brightest “star” in the late-evening sky. Venus is currently too near the sun to be visible. Astronomers measure brightness of stars and planets on a scale in which smaller numbers represent brighter objects. Already dazzling, Mars attains unusual brilliance this month, reaching magnitude -2.9 on Aug. 22 and staying that bright through Sept. 3. Venus can reach magnitude -4.0 or brighter. Anyone who has a telescope, no matter how modest it is, will probably want to find out what it can do with Mars. So what’s to be seen? As the month progresses, the south polar cap — visible now to moderate-sized backyard telescopes — will be melting and shrinking down to a tiny white speck. The largest dark markings on the planet should be fairly easy to see in almost any telescope at 100-power and up, but finer details are notoriously difficult to spot. Serious observers are keeping their fingers crossed that a major dust storm does not develop as Mars’ closest approach to the Earth draws nearer. The last time Mars passed relatively close to Earth (though not this close), in June 2001, a planetwide dust storm veiled most surface features for months. Earth and Mars are nearer than normal because they’re lining up on the same side of the sun. A case of orbital fate, due to the fact that the planet’s orbits are not quite circular, has made special what would otherwise be a normal “opposition” event: Earth will be almost as far as it ever gets from the sun, and Mars will be about as close to the sun as it can be. Mars comes closest to the Earth on the morning of Aug. 27 at 5:51 a.m. ET. The planet is then 34,646,418 miles (55,758,006 kilometers) from Earth, measured from center to center. This is closer to Earth than Mars has been in nearly 60,000 years, and Mars won’t come as close again until the year 2287.
I'm heading to the country and dragging my scope along this weekend. I've been checking out Mars just about every night (no scope) the past few weeks looks like a red Venus. really --->
Those are beautiful, thanks! I got an email recently about Mars being closer to earth in the coming month than any other time in our lifetime. Is this true?
Mars - The Phenomenon Begins August 1, 2003 On August 27, 2003, Mars, the third smallest planet, will be in "opposition" (when it is opposite the sun or perihelion), and closest to the Earth in more than 70,000 years. The near appearance of the Red Planet will be a spectacular celestial event, and even without a telescope, visible at only a mere 35 million miles away. By late August, the planet Mars will be at its brightest and six times larger than its normal size. A reddish tint will highlight the mysterious planet's elusive surface for Earth watchers to view in detail. Telescopic images may capture weather patterns, dust storms, cloud formations, crater impacts, and other detailed topography, including pictures of Olympus Mons, perhaps the largest volcano in the solar system. July 19th Update Excerts from The Lampholder Newsletter, December 2, 2002 Mars - the "war god" of the ancient Romans The Holy Scriptures paint a picture of ancient history by referencing places on Earth in association with the stars and planets. For instance, it is in the Book of Isaiah 63:1-6, where the color "red" is associated with Edom (Edom means "red"), and it is within the Holy Scriptures where the planet Mars is revealed. The "Red Horse" in the Seals referenced in the Book of Revelation indicates the time-period equated to the constellation of Scorpius, known to Aratus as "the great beast" (Rev. 6:3). The red horse equals the symbol for war with rivers of blood (Isaiah 63:2; Rev. 12:3). The 2nd Seal is the result of opening the 1st Seal (Dan 7:24; 11:40-45; Matt 24:6-7) when peace is taken from the Earth, seen in Matthew as "wars and rumors of wars" (from Countdown to Eternity, The 7,000 Year Time-Line in The Book of Revelation, Lampholder Publications, 1998). Iraq is seen in Ezek 25, 35, 36; Psa 137, Oba 1 and Isa 24; 34. The land of Edom (Esau) is also called also called Idumea or Bozrah (the ancient capitol city). The name Edom was given to Esau, the first-born son of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a meal (Gen 25:30). The country given to Esau was called Edom and the descendants were known as Edomites (Gen 32:3; 36; Deut. 23:7). The Holy Scriptures have much to reveal about the Edomites and their predecessors' fate. The people were known as "troglodytes, or dwellers of the caves, "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD" (Oba 1:3-4; see also Rev 6:12-17). The Edomites bitterly hated their brethren, the Jews. It was because of this hatred they were punished, "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob...neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction" (Oba 1:10-12). The Edomites believed their strength to be invincible; but it was only four years after Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70, when the Edomites were completely conquered and subsequently absorbed by other cultures. The name of Babylon dominates the ancient cities mentioned in Scripture, especially in the Book of Revelation; but it is the city of Baghdad where current events prophecy begins to unfold. It was the Abbasid caliph who built the Iraqi city of Baghdad in A.D. 762. He declared it would flourish into a world renowned empire, and it has, especially in the vast wealth found in Iraqi black gold -- the oil reserves revealed in Oba 1, as "...his hidden treasures." Both ancient history and prophecy unfold in early Mesopotamia, "the land between the two rivers;" namely, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the city of Baghdad, Iraq? Who and what now dwell within the caverns, tunnels, and caves of Iraq? If they were opened from above, what sleepers might they reveal hidden beneath the Earth's surface? And what is their coming fate, "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them..." (Oba 1:18). -- In October 2000, Bill Koenig, Koenig's International News, http://www.watch.org wrote Lampholder Publications with a question and exceptional comments on Yacov Rambsel's Bible Code-related book, The Genesis Factor: "My friend Yacov Rambsel called me today and said he found the planet Mars and the destruction of Babylon in Iraq close together in a Bible Code search. He does his searches by hand and does not use computer software. He even felt based on his findings that the destruction of Babylon could be imminent based on other things he found in the matrix. He also tied that into the current unrest in Israel and the possible destruction of Babylon by Israel. I told him about you and that I would ask you for your input into this. He asked if there is a significance of Mars and Babylon showing up together? Also if there is anything unique about where Mars is positioned now ? Thanks! In Christ, Bill The Lampholder responded (excerpts): "...First, I would very much like to know how the Bible Codes associated the planet Mars with Iraq/Saddam, because Mars has long been historically and "mythologically" associated with wars. Most importantly, because one must discern the difference between astrology/astronomy, the time-line marked in the seasons/calendar changes since May of 2000, the end of the 6,000th year, and Biblical prophecy - all of these point to very distinct pattern changes marked in the heavens - and yes, Iraq is figured prominently. Also, you might ask Yacov Rambsel if he has found the Mars' association in the Bible Codes within Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, or the Book of Revelation, because it is there in prophetical astronomy... MARS AND WAR - ONE DOWN AND "?" TO GO? The Lampholder reported in May 2002 on a prophetic window opening revealing an upcoming WAR(s). From Lampholder Publications' The Portal, Part I, "...It is from June 2002, whereby Earth witnesses the reemergence of the Dragon Star or Devil Star (Draconis) as seen in the Great Pyramid's descending passageway. The Dragon Star equates with Scorpius, known to Aratus as "the great beast" (Rev. 6:3). The May 5, 2000, planetary alignment revealed the Dragon Star's return. The Dragon Star is the "666" of Biblical prophecy aka, the anti-christ. Before the Portal was opened, the dark side associated with the Dragon Star remained behind-the-scenes/hidden, but now that the Portal is opened "evil" will be displayed openly. This is very evident in the evil actions of Uosama bin Laden and the terrorist attack against the World Trade Center in Sept of 2001. Uosama and those involved in terrorism are led by the dark side of the Portal." http://www.lampholderpub.com/new_page_24.htm
