Telescope Viewing Of Mars Sept. 22 At Baylor Marina

by Judy Long

If you have not yet viewed Mars while it is in close proximity to earth, mark your calendar for 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, when the Baylor University physics department will set up telescopes on the roof of the Baylor marina to view the red planet, weather permitting.
Cloudy skies have obstructed viewing during much of the Mars' closet orbit in 60,000 years, but the neighboring planet is still close enough for excellent viewing.
At 34 to 35 million miles from earth, our nearest neighbor in the solar system will not stage an appearance this close again for 200 years.
Physics professor Dwight Russell said an Orion 6-inch reflector telescope with a Dobsonian mount and Celestron Nexstar 9 +-inch telescope will be used for viewing. Filming of the planet will be posted on Baylor's Mars Cam web page at http://elib08.baylor.edu/elibrary/marscam.
The Baylor marina is located approximately one mile east of I-35 on the left side of University Parks Drive. For more information, contact the physics department at (254) 710-2511.