By Peter Becker
...Every 2.1 years (click here) the planet passes Earth, but it isn’t always very bright. Because its orbit is rather elliptical, it varies considerably in how close it comes. To get the general public’s attention, it needs to stand out, and this year is one of those times.
Before we go any further, note that this is nothing to worry about. Mars is only close astronomically-speaking. It is still more than 46.7 million miles away on May 30. It can get as close as approximately 35 million miles, and that’s still no reason to duck. I mention this because of some fanatical emails that have been passed around in recent years spelling and conjuring thoughts best left for science fiction.
We are probably more educated about our nearest planetary neighbor than ever thanks to the astounding success of recent Mars landers and orbiting spacecraft sent by NASA as well as other nations’ space programs. The discovery of thousands of planets orbiting other stars in recent years, all the while homing in on possible earth-like worlds makes it all the more exciting....
