Category: Environment & Weather

John Noble Wilford in The New York Times:

Minutes before 6 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 27, 5:51 to be exact, the separation between Mars and Earth will be precisely 34,646,418 miles. That is proximity only by cosmic standards. Mars was about five times that distance from Earth only six months ago.

Already, Mars is a sight not to be missed. The planet rises in the southeastern sky progressively earlier each night now through September, and is usually visible in the constellation Aquarius after 9 or 10 p.m. local time. It then climbs higher through the night and shifts more to the south.

Looming ever larger and redder in the last few weeks, Mars is now more luminous than Jupiter or Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Only Venus and the Moon outshine the approaching Mars.

T.A. Barron in The Boston Globe: “Bush’s war on our public lands is unwise, unjustified, and unprecedented. It is tantamount to an assault on the national treasury. But defending our public lands does more than protect valuable physical assets: It protects our homeland security of the soul.”

The August Outside features “The Water Issue” and touches on some vital matters. More importantly it includes lists — and everyone loves lists.

Ten Amazing Beaches
Ten Perfect Swimming Holes
The Wild-Water Life List
Nation’s Cleanest Lake