Welcome to the Second Life Forums Archive

These forums are CLOSED. Please visit the new forums HERE

For Night Sky Observers! Don't Miss Out!
Einsman Schlegel
Disenchanted Fool
Join date: 11 Jun 2003
Posts: 1,461
08-11-2005 11:06
MARS SPECTACULAR!

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'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 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 2:30a.m. That's
pretty convenient to see something that no human being 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 this with your children and grandchildren. NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL
EVER SEE THIS AGAIN
_____________________
Chip Midnight
ate my baby!
Join date: 1 May 2003
Posts: 10,231
08-11-2005 11:12
Very cool. Thanks for the heads up :)

In related news... "Russian Astrologer Sues Jupiter!"
_____________________

My other hobby:
www.live365.com/stations/chip_midnight
Willow Zander
Having Blahgasms
Join date: 22 May 2004
Posts: 9,935
08-11-2005 11:13
LOL I told everyone at work about this ages ago, when they first posted about it, and we all marked August on our calenders but no date... they have been shouting at me for days!

But WOOT at last I can give them info! WEEEEEE :D
_____________________
*I'm not ready for the world outside...I keep pretending, but I just can't hide...*




<3 Giddeon's <3
Taco Rubio
also quite creepy
Join date: 15 Feb 2004
Posts: 3,349
08-11-2005 11:29
I hate to be the one to say this, but this is totally accurate information - but 2 years old:(

I got this email the other day and went "oh hell"..... some prankster started sending it out again. Same thing happened last year :(


On the plus side, however, there is stuff to see up there this weekend!
Seth Kanahoe
political fugue artist
Join date: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 1,220
08-11-2005 11:34
Yes, was going to say - Mars made this 60K year "closest" approach back in the summer/fall of 2003. It was spectacular, especially when I had a chance to view it through a ten-inch reflector.
Einsman Schlegel
Disenchanted Fool
Join date: 11 Jun 2003
Posts: 1,461
08-11-2005 11:43
:D I thought it woulda been a good laugh. Need one now and then ya know?
_____________________
Doc Nielsen
Fallen...
Join date: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 1,059
08-11-2005 11:54
From: Einsman Schlegel
MARS SPECTACULAR!

Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.


Absolute and complete BS! THINK about it...

*shakes head sadly and wanders off muttering about the gullibility of some people*
_____________________
All very well for people to have a sig that exhorts you to 'be the change' - I wonder if it's ever occurred to them that they might be something that needs changing...?
Cybin Monde
Resident Moderator (?)
Join date: 27 Jan 2004
Posts: 2,468
as a matter of fact..
08-11-2005 12:06
i know when this originally happened AND when i bought my Alienware due to the same date.

i was aware of the "convergence" as i went to order my Alienware and ended up naming it after said event!

-

ps - i'll be looking for meteors tonight.. after i get out of the bar. ;)
_____________________
"We, as developers, are doing the easy part – building the scaffolding for a new world. You, as the engines of creation, must breathe life into it."
- Philip Linden

"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
- Willy Wonka (circa 1971)

SecondSpace (http://groups.myspace.com/secondspace) : MySpace group for SLers.
Trinity Serpentine
Schwan's Avitar Reject
Join date: 1 Oct 2003
Posts: 2,972
08-11-2005 12:16
From: Doc Nielsen
Absolute and complete BS! THINK about it...

*shakes head sadly and wanders off muttering about the gullibility of some people*


Well I'm one of those gullible people. Whudeva. :(
_____________________
From: someone
Yeah, the toaster has great speakers, but all I want is fucking toast.
- The Filthy Critic reviewing Aeon Flux
Ria Harker
Registered User
Join date: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 4
08-11-2005 12:17
www.snopes.com

this is totally false...and yes the "event" happened in 2003
Zuzu Fassbinder
Little Miss No Tomorrow
Join date: 17 Sep 2004
Posts: 2,048
08-11-2005 13:40
Yes I recall when this really happened, although there appears to be an error in formatting, I think this:

From: someone
At a modest 75-power magnification.
Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.


Should be:

From: someone
At a modest 75-power magnification, Mars will look as large as the full moon (ed. does) to the naked eye.
_____________________
From: Bud
I don't want no commies in my car. No Christians either.
Nolan Nash
Frischer Frosch
Join date: 15 May 2003
Posts: 7,141
08-11-2005 15:47
On a somewhat related (but realistic) note, the Perseid meteor shower culminates tomorrow!

We will be passing through the tail of the Comet Swift-Tuttle.

Interestingly enough, Mars will be present in the area where the meteors appear to orginate from, and it will be quite bright.



In addition, Mars and Earth will have a "close encounter" in late October.

NASA article about the Perseids

Note the link at the bottom of the page about the Mars hoax.
_____________________
“Time's fun when you're having flies.” ~Kermit
Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
08-13-2005 06:23
OH FFS! I was waiting for this (meteor shower) and completely forgot about it!

And.... once you get to this point, I'd hope everyone would realize it's crap information (orig post):

From: someone
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.
_____________________
BTW

WTF is C3PO supposed to be USEFUL for anyway, besides whining? Stupid piece of scrap metal would be more useful recycled as a toaster. But even that would suck, because who would want to listen to a whining wussy toaster? Is he gold plated? If that's the case he should just be melted down into gold ingots. Help the economy some, and stop being so damn useless you stupid bucket of bolts! R2 is 1,000 times more useful than your tin man ass, and he's shaped like a salt and pepper shaker FFS!
Einsman Schlegel
Disenchanted Fool
Join date: 11 Jun 2003
Posts: 1,461
08-13-2005 06:29
From: Garoad Kuroda
OH FFS! I was waiting for this (meteor shower) and completely forgot about it!

And.... once you get to this point, I'd hope everyone would realize it's crap information (orig post):


Thats the idea. Its unfortunate though that most do not understand the night sky and think what any information comes to them is true.

On another note, its sad to say the space program may end up being post-poned indefinately. I think we're due for another space age round.
_____________________
Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
08-13-2005 06:37
I'm really tempted to start looking for a nice astronomy camera. Not the traditional type though. The kind you hook up to a laptop and such. CCD camera...but reasonable priced, not like $1000 hopefully. Preferably it could also be used for normal sky shots or *quick* snapshots without a scope too...but I dunno if they can do that or not.

Arg look at some of the stuff they can do... in my crappy area, with say a 7 inch scope, I'd be happy to get something that even looks a tenth as good as these.

http://www.starlight-xpress.co.uk/SXV-M25.htm

Why am I saying all this? I'm hoping for recommendations. :cool:
_____________________
BTW

WTF is C3PO supposed to be USEFUL for anyway, besides whining? Stupid piece of scrap metal would be more useful recycled as a toaster. But even that would suck, because who would want to listen to a whining wussy toaster? Is he gold plated? If that's the case he should just be melted down into gold ingots. Help the economy some, and stop being so damn useless you stupid bucket of bolts! R2 is 1,000 times more useful than your tin man ass, and he's shaped like a salt and pepper shaker FFS!
Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
08-13-2005 06:37
From: Einsman Schlegel
Thats the idea. Its unfortunate though that most do not understand the night sky and think what any information comes to them is true.

On another note, its sad to say the space program may end up being post-poned indefinately. I think we're due for another space age round.


So much for a manned mission to Mars eh.
_____________________
BTW

WTF is C3PO supposed to be USEFUL for anyway, besides whining? Stupid piece of scrap metal would be more useful recycled as a toaster. But even that would suck, because who would want to listen to a whining wussy toaster? Is he gold plated? If that's the case he should just be melted down into gold ingots. Help the economy some, and stop being so damn useless you stupid bucket of bolts! R2 is 1,000 times more useful than your tin man ass, and he's shaped like a salt and pepper shaker FFS!
Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
08-13-2005 06:46
Wait! Wait! The original post IS REAL!

LOOK AT HOW BIG MARS IS!!!!



hehehehe :D
_____________________
BTW

WTF is C3PO supposed to be USEFUL for anyway, besides whining? Stupid piece of scrap metal would be more useful recycled as a toaster. But even that would suck, because who would want to listen to a whining wussy toaster? Is he gold plated? If that's the case he should just be melted down into gold ingots. Help the economy some, and stop being so damn useless you stupid bucket of bolts! R2 is 1,000 times more useful than your tin man ass, and he's shaped like a salt and pepper shaker FFS!
Taco Rubio
also quite creepy
Join date: 15 Feb 2004
Posts: 3,349
08-15-2005 07:40
From: Einsman Schlegel
On another note, its sad to say the space program may end up being post-poned indefinately. I think we're due for another space age round.


I am extremely pleased the space shuttle is grounded again. It's a 1974 Pacer, and has no business doing anything but sitting in a museum. I read a really interesting article in Discover this month regarding the future of space programs, and it converted me to believe that streamlined independent companies will propel our spacefaring efforts.
Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
08-15-2005 15:15
Yes, but we still need some kind of public funded space program. Commercial industry is fine, but they won't do anything if it doesn't bring in some kind of income.

So in the mean time, everything's on hold and screwed up.

It'd be okay if the assholes in congress would fund shuttle replacements, but they are not interested. So much for Bush's Mars plan eh.
_____________________
BTW

WTF is C3PO supposed to be USEFUL for anyway, besides whining? Stupid piece of scrap metal would be more useful recycled as a toaster. But even that would suck, because who would want to listen to a whining wussy toaster? Is he gold plated? If that's the case he should just be melted down into gold ingots. Help the economy some, and stop being so damn useless you stupid bucket of bolts! R2 is 1,000 times more useful than your tin man ass, and he's shaped like a salt and pepper shaker FFS!
Garoad Kuroda
Prophet of Muppetry
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 2,989
08-15-2005 18:18
From: Garoad Kuroda
I'm really tempted to start looking for a nice astronomy camera. Not the traditional type though. The kind you hook up to a laptop and such. CCD camera...but reasonable priced, not like $1000 hopefully. Preferably it could also be used for normal sky shots or *quick* snapshots without a scope too...but I dunno if they can do that or not.

Arg look at some of the stuff they can do... in my crappy area, with say a 7 inch scope, I'd be happy to get something that even looks a tenth as good as these.

http://www.starlight-xpress.co.uk/SXV-M25.htm

Why am I saying all this? I'm hoping for recommendations. :cool:


Aww comeon now I need CCD camera recommendations! This is a (thread) hijack! Don't move!

*runs away from the thread marshalls that jump up in reaction*
_____________________
BTW

WTF is C3PO supposed to be USEFUL for anyway, besides whining? Stupid piece of scrap metal would be more useful recycled as a toaster. But even that would suck, because who would want to listen to a whining wussy toaster? Is he gold plated? If that's the case he should just be melted down into gold ingots. Help the economy some, and stop being so damn useless you stupid bucket of bolts! R2 is 1,000 times more useful than your tin man ass, and he's shaped like a salt and pepper shaker FFS!