FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 14, 2003
CONTACT: Carol Anderson
canderson@emich.edu
734.487.4400

EMU Offers an Out-of-This-World View of Mars

YPSILANTI --– Get up close and personal with the planet Mars when Eastern Michigan University’s Sherzer Observatory hosts “Mars Mania” Aug. 24-30, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. (weather permitting).

This is a rare opportunity to see Mars since it will be closer to Earth than it has ever been in 57,000
years. The next chance to view it won’t be until 2287.

Visitors will use a 10-inch apochromatic refractor telescope that is ideally suited for viewing the
southern polar cap, dark markings, ruddy orange color and potential dust storms that often occur on
Mars. “Mars Mania” is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact 734.487.3033 or go to www.physics.emich.edu.

Eastern Michigan University is a public comprehensive, metropolitan university that offers programs in
the arts, sciences and professions. EMU prepares students with the intellectual skills and practical experiences to succeed in their careers and lives, and to be better citizens.

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Editor’s Note: Norbert Vance, director of EMU’s Sherzer Observatory, is available for interviews.