A close encounter with Mars today

[August 27, 2003 - 8.30 GMT]

Mars will make recorded history today, August 27, 2003, by orbiting closest to Earth in over 60,000 years. It is not predicted to make such a journey again for thousands of years to come. The two planets will be 56 million kilometers (35 million miles) apart, about the closest they have ever been in recorded history.

Mars is known as the Red Planet because of iron oxide (rust) in its soil, which causes the planet to glow red. The ancient Romans named the planet Mars after their god of war.

According to Dr. Chandana Jayaratne, Senior Lecturer in Physics, University of Colombo, speaking to a local radio station, Mars will appear six times larger, shine 85 times brighter and will be visible from around 3.52 pm, Sri Lanka time, today. It will be clearly visible at 20 hrs GMT just above the horizon, in the southeastern sky.

Though it can be seen with the naked eye, through a good telescope the surface markings and polar ice caps of the planet will be clearly visible.

Compared to other planets in our solar system, Mars is the most like Earth. Both planets have hard crusts, dense cores and are made up of the same kinds of material. Mars even has four distinct seasons-just like Earth.

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Last Updated Date: August 27, 2003  -8.30 GMT.