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Seeing Red Locals to celebrate Mars' closest approach in 60,000 years(INCLUDES How to see it, To learn more, Facts: Mars vs. Earth, andIf you go)

Posted on: Friday, 22 August 2003, 06:00 CDT

It's hard to imagine 34,650,000 miles as a close distance, but for York College professor Bill Kreiger, it's the closest he'll ever get to his research.

On Wednesday, Mars will be the closest it has been to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, and Kreiger is taking advantage of this opportunity to celebrate and educate York County.

"The bottom line is that it's unique. We can see the surface, clouds, dust storms, fog, haze," Kreiger said. "We see all kinds of intricate designs. The opportunity to see this is interesting."

A professor of Earth science and science education, Kreiger explained why the planets are so close using an analogy of runners on a racetrack, though each track is not perfectly circular. In each planet's wobbling orbit around the sun, Earth has the inside track and the planets are neck and neck.

Earth will officially lap Mars on Wednesday, but on Saturday at John C. Rudy County Observatory, Kreiger's students and the York County Astronomical Society are putting together Mars Day, a daylong event focused solely on the Red Planet.

"I've been talking about this for five years," Kreiger said. "The importance of this event helps focus on space. It takes us away from the problems and cares of the world and gives us a different perspective of the universe."

Various speakers and presentations are planned from 1 to 5 p.m. Spectators will learn about attempts to explore Mars, the planet's geology, and its place in pop culture since Orson Wells recreated the H.G. Wells novel "War of the Worlds" Oct. 30, 1938, on radio. And if the sky is clear, Kreiger plans an observance of the planet's major surface features through an assortment of telescopes and binoculars.

One of Kreiger's former students, Kim Cyr-Thoman, will present her college research about past and future endeavors to land on, navigate and inhabit Mars. In 2000, Cyr-Thoman completed her Mars investigations while enrolling in an independent studies course for Kreiger. Since that was three years ago, she updated her presentation to include recent astronomical episodes. She currently teaches fifth grade at North Hills Elementary School in the Central York School District.

"It's always good to get young minds involved with science because they'll be our future scientists," Cyr-Thoman said. "We need to keep educating people of all ages."

In addition to Cyr-Thoman's presentation, Mars Day will also feature various speakers and presentations on how NASA travels to Mars and the math involved in routing spacecraft to our solar- system neighbor. Admission is free, and Kreiger expects a crowd of about 200.

"We're going to have all kinds of handouts, materials and presentations," Kreiger said. "Anytime there is something special going on, we always do some kind of activity."

Reach Mike Caggeso at 771-2051 or mcaggeso@ydr.com

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HOW TO SEE IT

To see stars and planets, astronomers usually recommend picking a clear night and driving out to the country to escape the glow of city lights.

Mars is so bright now, however, you can look at it from your yard.

At nightfall, Mars will hang low in the southeast sky. It will look like a bright, reddish or rust-colored star, says Robert Crider, president of the Fort Wayne, Ind., Astronomical Society.

"It will outshine any objects except the moon," he says.

As the evening progresses into early morning, Mars will rise on about a 30-degree angle in the sky, he says.

Powerful binoculars may allow you to see the planet as a disc rather than just a twinkling light, Crider says. To see the planet's white, south-polar cap or other landscape features, you probably will need an 8-inch, reflecting telescope or one more powerful.

So pick a clear night and take your family or friends out to see Mars' spectacular show. After all, if you miss this one, you won't have a similar opportunity for 284 years.

Sources: National Aeronautics and Space Administration; "Earth and Sky," by Joel Block and Deborah Byrd; Knight Ridder Newspapers

FACTS: MARS VS. EARTH

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and the distance from Earth to Mars varies from 35 million miles to 249 million miles.

It is a little like Earth, but smaller, drier and colder. Both planets have four seasons (the seasons are twice as long on Mars), polar ice caps, volcanoes and canyons.

Wednesday will be the closest the planets will be until Aug. 28, 2287.

Here are some ways Mars measures up to our own planet.

Martian year: 687 Earth days

Earth year: 365.25 days

Average distance from Mars to the sun: 142 million miles

Average distance from Earth to the sun: 93 million miles

Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon" of Mars: 2,500 miles long and up to 4 miles deep

Earth's Grand Canyon: less than 500 miles long and 1 mile deep

Average temperature on Mars: 81 F

Average temperature on Earth: 57 F

Mars' atmosphere: mostly carbon dioxide, some water vapor

Earth's atmosphere: nitrogen, oxygen, argon and others

Sources: NASA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Knight Ridder Newspapers

IF YOU GO

What: Mars Day, an event focusing on the close proximity between Earth and Mars. Educational displays and presentations, storytelling, face painting and an at-night observance are planned.

When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday rain or shine, with a star viewing from 8 to 10 p.m. if the sky is clear.

Where: John C. Rudy County Park Observatory.

Admission: Free.

Directions: From intersection of Route 30 and Route 24, travel north on Route 24 for two miles and turn right on Sherman Street. Pass Codorus Creek and turn left on Mundis Race Road. Follow signs to John C. Rudy County Park Observatory, which is north of the paved parking lot.

TO LEARN MORE

For more information about Mars, try the following places: On the Web

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C., www.nasm.si.edu

Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, Md., www.mdsci.org

NASA's Mars Exploration Program, http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov

The Planetary Society, www.planetary.org/mars Books

"A Traveler's Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet," by William K. Hartmann (Workman Publishing, $18.95, paperback)

"Mars Observer's Guide," by Neil Bone (Firefly Books, $14.95, paperback)

"Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World," by Oliver Morton (Picador, $30, hardback)

Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers

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