[HPforGrownups] Mars is Bright

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 40732

On 1 Jul 2002 at 3:54, ezzie_mora wrote:

> Here is a link to a timetable of Oppositions of Mars
> http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/online.bks/mars/appends.htm
> 
> Additionally, Mars was not in a position where it could be seen 
> easily with the naked eye that evening.  After calculating the 
> position of Mars in the sky between 11pm-midnight May 26, 1992 
> as it would have been seen in northern England (a guess since 
> we dont know where Hogwarts is exactly), we find that Mars was 
> a mere 15 degrees from the last quarter moon in the nighttime 
> sky.  It would have been virtually impossible to discern it from 
> other stars and the bright quarter moon as they passed by the 
> Aries constellation.

Speaking as an astronomer - are you sure of this?

My checks place Mars in Pisces on 26/5/92 - and not even visible until sometime 
around 3.20am on the morning of the 27th (based on Glasgow - I wanted a Scotland 
position - around 3.10am for London)

26/5/91 looks better in terms of the brightness of Mars - Jupiter, Mars, and Venus 
were arrayed in a fairly bright cluster in the evening as viewed from Scotland.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately |webpage: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       |email: drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in
common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter
the facts to fit the views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen
to be one of the facts that need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who:
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