Get Ready for a Rare Mars Flyby: Second Closest Approach in 60,000 Years!

[russ_watters]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2005-10-27-mars-flyby_x.htm

Mars is ready for another close-up. For the second time in nearly 60,000 years, the Red Planet will swing unusually close to Earth this weekend, appearing as a yellow twinkle in the night sky.

Say what? Second time in 60,000 years? Besides the 17 year cycle of close approaches, this one isn't even the second closest in 5 years! It's going to be 43 million miles away and the 2001 opposition was 42 million miles.

And this is an AP report, which means it's going out in every major news outlet (cnn has the same story, verbatim).

 

[tony873004]

Mars' latest rendezvous will not match its record-breaking approach to Earth in 2003, when it hovered from 35 million miles away. But more skygazers this time around can glimpse the fourth rock from the sun because it will glow above the horizon.

I wonder what this means? I don't know anyone who had any trouble seeing it last time. It's going to glow this time, but it didn't glow last time?

For the northern hemisphere, Mars will be a lot higher than in 2003, making this a better apparation for people at latitude like mine (38N). Maybe that's what they meant to say.

 

[Pengwuino]

So wait... are you telling me we can't trust reporters for scientific news seeing as how practically there only requirements in college are remedial chemistry?

 

[moose]

For the second time in nearly 60,000 years, the Red Planet will swing unusually close to Earth this weekend.

Mars' latest rendezvous will not match its record-breaking approach to Earth in 2003, when it hovered from 35 million miles away.

The two planets -- normally separated by about 140 million miles -- will not be this close again until 2018.

ooookkkkkkk

 

[russ_watters]

I wonder what this means?

...

For the northern hemisphere, Mars will be a lot higher than in 2003, making this a better apparation for people at latitude like mine (38N). Maybe that's what they meant to say.

I think that's what they meant. Yes, along with scientific illiteracy, this particular reporter has trouble constructing a coherent sentence.

 

[tony873004]

Here's another one from AP

Comets Hit Early Americans, Scientists Say
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051029/ap_on_sc/early_americans;_ylt=AjxTwnCKNInHPrU3ArVqRe2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MzV0MTdmBHNlYwM3NTM-

A supernova could be the "quick and dirty" explanation for what may have happened to an early North American culture, a nuclear scientist here said Thursday

Strange opening sentence for an article that promised us comets. It then drops all supernovae references and gets to the comet theory.

...he estimates that comets struck the solar system during the Clovis period...

Comets are part of the solar system. How do you strike the solar system anyway?

These comets would have hit the Earth at 1,000 kilometers an hour

A little slow for a comet! Some fighter jets are faster. Since this is slower than Earth escape velocity, it would be impossible for them to hit with such a low speed.

If you read this story from the above link, hit the "Discuss" button. There's a bunch of "Re: Comets are not supernovae" posts.

 

[Chronos]

Oh my god, I thought politics was stupid.

 

[Pengwuino]

1,000km/h is pretty much what any jet aircraft, private or military can do lol