Mars Comes Closest in 60,000 Years

By Mark Bevis on Thursday, August 21, 2003.

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LOOK IN THE SOUTH SKY TONIGHT AFTER 9:30 AND YOU?LL SEE SOMETHING THAT HASN?T BEEN SEEN SINCE THE LAST ICE.

NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO?S MARK BEVIS HAS MORE.

Check out the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium Website or UNH's Blue Sky Observatory

IF YOU LOOK ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY UP IN THE SOUTHEASTER SKY TONIGHT, YOU?LL SEE MARS.

THAT?S NOT SO NOVEL..

WHAT?S DIFFERENT IS THAT IT?S CLOSER THAN IT?S BEEN IN 10S OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, IT?S GOING TO BE EVEN CLOSER.

AND ASTRONOMERS, PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR ARE PSYCHED.

MAL CAMERON IS AN EDUCATOR AT THE CHRISTA MCAULIFFE PLANETARIUM HERE IN CONCORD..

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MAL CAMERON IS AN EDUCATOR AT THE CHRISTA MCAULIFFE PLANETARIUM IN CONCORD.

WEATHER PERMITTING THEY?LL BE HOSTING VISITORS FRIDAY EVENING TO COME LOOK AT THE RED PLANET THROUGH TELESCOPES.

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE OBSERVATORY IN DURHAM WILL ALSO HOLD A MARS VIEWING THIS SATURDAY FROM 9 TO 11.

FOR NHPR NEWS THIS IS MARK BEVIS.