[meteorite-list] Don't miss this: Lunar "Collision" with Mars

From: mexicodoug <mexicodoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:54:04 -0600
Message-ID: <006d01c84456$ae646370$4001a8c0_at_MICASA>

Hola Listees,

A couple of you asked me about the Rudolph comment I made for Christmas Eve
sight involving Mars. It is fairly well covered in some places, but I
thought it wouild be a good idea to post it for us. What could be better
for Christmas than a Lunar collision with Mars??? That's exactly what will
happen in the celestial sphere for some lucky earthlings.

Basically we have a situation of a Full Moon which will brush Mars to within
a single Lunar diameter if you catch it right on the night of December
23/24. That's just one night and it is the night before Christmas Eve - NOT
Christmas Eve. Still, on Christmas Eve, the Moon and Mars will be within a
Lunar diameter or two (CLOSE!) and a sight to behold.

As a matter of fact, certain list members will be able to see the Moon
occult (="eclipse") Mars, from NW Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, BC,
Alberta, N. Scotland, Northern and Central Europe to the Northern Near East.

Those living near the "edge" of visibility will clearly see the Moon get a
RED NOSE on the night before Christmas Eve. Must be Rudolph gathering all
those Lunars for Santa...(Not only that - if you really know what you are
doing you can watch Mars dim and brighten as it grazes the Lunar topography
along the "grazing path" (usually a few kilometers wide) from Earth's
viewpoint.

Considering Mars just happens to be at opposition on the same day - i.e., as
close as it gets every two years plus, Mars will be uncharacteristically
bright, which you can go out and confirm right now, even under the bright
Moonlight. Really it is a special astronomical event not to miss.

The following are great Maps of (1) Europe and (2) North America showing the
line of the grazing touch, and to the North of that line there will be
occultation. To the South a great proximity show. I've also prepared a
table for some key cities in LOCAL TIME below to save you the trouble of
looking for the information on the reference link below the times.. For
those comfortable with Universal (London) time, the event happens between
1:30 AM and 3:00 AM on the morning of December 24 in North America and
between 3:00 AM and 4:30 AM on the morning of Deember 24 in Europe. Those
are rough times and you need to know it precisly if you want to see the
movie well. Other references to read more follow the LOCAL times.

Grazing paths:
(All Europe and near east)
http://www.dangl.at/maps/2007/gr071224/g071224e.htm

(North America)
http://www.curtrenz.com/astro4.html

Times
North America is on DEC. 23 PM
LOCAL TIME
City Duration Begin End
Alaska Anchorage 47min 16:52 17:39
Alaska Fairbanks 48min 16:55 17:43
Alaska Juneau 45min 16:45 17:30
Alberta Calgary 11min 18:50 19:01
Alberta Edmonton 23min 18:47 19:10
Washington Seattle 17min 17:42 18:00
Washington Tacoma 16min 17:43 17:58

Europe + Near East is on DEC. 24 AM
LOCAL TIME
City Duration Begin End
Austria Graz 5min 5:02 5:08
Austria Vienna 19min 4:54 5:12
Belorus Minsk 43min 5:33 6:16
Bulgaria Sofia 12min 6:06 6:18
Czech Prague 22min 4:49 5:11
Denmark Aalborg 36min 4:29 5:05
Denmark Copenhagn35min 4:33 5:08
Estonia Tartu 46min 5:25 6:11
Finland Helsinki 47min 5:21 6:09
Finland Vaasa 49min 5:16 6:04
Georgia Tbilisi 39min 7:47 8:26
Germany Berlin 28min 4:42 5:10
Germany Dresden 25min 4:46 5:10
Germany Hamburg 26min 4:40 5:06
Germany Hannover 21min 4:45 5:05
Germany Leipzig 23min 4:46 5:09
Hungary Budapest 23min 4:53 5:16
Latvia Riga 44min 5:28 6:12
Lietuva Vilnius 43min 5:32 6:15
Norway Bergen 38min 4:21 4:59
Norway Mosjoen 49min 4:09 4:58
Norway Oslo 42min 4:21 5:03
Russia St Pete 48min 6:21 7:10
Poland Gdansk 38min 4:35 5:13
Poland Krakow 31min 4:45 5:16
Poland Warsaw 37min 4:39 5:16
Romania Bucharest26min 5:56 6:22
Romania Cluj-Nap 28min 5:52 6:20
Russia Moscow 47min 6:28 7:15
Russia Saratov 46min 6:32 7:18
Serbia Belgrade 14min 5:02 5:16
Sweden Gothenburg39min 4:27 5:06
Sweden Stockholm 44min 4:23 5:08
Turkey Istanbul 21min 6:03 6:24
UK Aberdeen 15min 3:34 3:49
Ukraine Kiev 41min 5:40 6:20
Ukraine Odessa 36min 5:48 6:23

Times based on:
http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/planets/1224mars.htm

Astronomy Articles:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/071221-ns-mars-moon.html
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=6408

Best wishes,Life,
Doug
Received on Fri 21 Dec 2007 11:54:04 PM PST