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Mars, the planet the ancients feared and revered as the planet of blood and god of war; namely - Nergal by the Babylonians, Horus the Red by the Egyptians, Ares by the Greeks, and Mars by the the Romans - made its closest pass to Earth in 60,000 years, appearing as a brilliant star dominating the heavens in a moonless night sky. This celestial event is being witnessed by millions of people because the looming proximity of Mars has fueled a frenzy of public and media interest.
Mars is usually about 140 million miles away from Earth, but on 27 AUG 03 its orbit brought it about 34.6 million miles away, reaching the closest point at 2:46 a.m. PST. The red planet will not be so close to Earth again until 2287 and Mars will be nearer to Earth than it has been in 59,619 years. As reported earlier on our Latest News page, telescopes are in short supply because everyone is buying them in a “Mars Frenzy.”
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Archaeoastronomer and author Zain Winter attended a star party in Hollywood put on by singer, songwriter, and actress Raven Wylder.
Mr. Winter commented on the celestial event and what effect civilization is having on the night sky...
“Not only is it heart warming to see so many people fascinated by an astronomical event, it's the perfect opportunity to make people aware of why such events are sacred in world history and what air and light pollution is doing to the night sky. In the last few hundred years, much of the world's celestial heritage has been lost and people have to be re-introduced to the concept. Fortunately, the science of archaeoastronomy is emerging to enlighten and re-educate the people of our planet.”
Across the Pacific Ocean in Australia, the skies cleared just in time over Sydney as thousands of people went out to catch a glimpse of the planet in the eastern sky. The view got even better overnight as Mars rose in the horizon.
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In Argentina, hundreds of people bundled up against the South American winter chill and passed the night at Buenos Aires planetarium to look through three telescopes set up for the occasion.
In Lebanon, thousands gathered at the country’s highest peak Tuesday night to try to see Mars through binoculars and telescopes. They came together near the Cedar forest of Black Peak, in northern Lebanon, which is more than 10,000 feet high. Whole families came to the mountaintop. Some lit bonfires and others drove to the mountain from south Lebanon, about four hours away.
Hundreds of sky watching parties, lectures, workshops and public observatory sessions are planned around the world. One Japanese tour group is flying to Flagstaff, Ariz., where they’ve reserved time on a telescope at the Lowell Observatory.
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Group viewing sessions at the Lowell Observatory are booked solid for the remainder of August. Note: It was Percival Lowell, after using the same observatory around 1900, who helped instigate one of the greatest bouts of Mars mania in history when he theorized that supposed canals on Mars were the work of intelligent minds.
Zain Winter says that Mars will continue to be bright and beautiful for several weeks as the red planet pulls away from Earth and...
"As we say goodbye to the god of war, we should all remember that for a short time Mars represented not the planet of blood, but a celestial beacon that brought so many of us together around the world."
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