European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 22, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 5 Mars makes closest approach in 17 years los Angeles a Telescope huffs arc Gaz ing at Mars puffy White Clouds towering volcanoes and shrinking Southern ice Cap As the red planet s closest approach to Earth in 17 years provides some of he Best views since 187i. This is a rare Chance for people to Lake a look at a world where humans May one Day walk said Susan Lendroth. Spokeswoman for inc Pasadena has cd planetary society which is sponsoring dozens of Mars watch 88 Public viewing parties and a for Mal observation program by Amateur astronomers. Mars to was make ils closest approach to Earth at j 18 am. Get thursday said astronomer de Krupp director of los Angeles Griffith Ohser Yalo by. Hundreds of people at the Observatory have earned certificates declaring "1 saw Mars at Griffith Observatory during the close encounter the two planets will be 36.5 million Miles apart inc closest since they were 34.9 million Miles apart in August 1971 and closer than they will gel until they approach within 34.6 million Miles on aug. 27, 2003. Because Mars appears much farther North in Earth s skies than usual during such close encounters views for Northern hemisphere observers will be better than at any time since 1875 or until 2025, astronomers said. Telescope views will be Good for More than a month after wednesday night s close approach so Here was no particular reason to watch the planet wednesday night Krupp said Many viewing parties already have been held. For example residents in Rossburg ore., held a Mars mania Star party last week. In Alabama. Birding Ham residents held a Mars  about 100 of the 500 Amateur astronomers participating in the worldwide Mars watch re Obser vation program have sent More than 1,500 photo graphs and sketches of the Planck to Jeff Beish and Donald Parker official Mars recorders fora group named the International Mars patrol. It s now summer in Mars Southern hemisphere and the Southern ice Cap extends Only to 81 decrees South latitude much smaller than during Winter when it sometimes stretches almost Halfway toward the Equator Buish said by Telephone from Miami. He is an Eastern airlines flight simulator technician. The largest volcanoes can be identified a very experienced telescopic observers using Large instruments Beish said. Sometimes i Sec Olympus mems. That s the biggest one three times taller than mount Everest Buish said. He said observers also arc now seeing Mountain Ous Clouds. They arc round or Oval shaped White puffs. They re around the known  backyard astronomers in places such As Japan Italy new zealand and new Guinea also Are seeing other Martian surface features now Hal dust has settled from a june dust storm Hal measured 4,800 Miles Long and 2,500 Miles wide Buish said. They arc seeing features thai they be never seen before including several Long dark so Racks Hal appeared recently he said Mars changes from minute to minute. There s always something to discover Mars also can be seen Wilh the naked Eye Al though surface features Aren t visible. For Northern hemisphere residents it appears As a Reddish Orange spot inc brightest object in evening skies Low to the East Southeast after dark about 45 degrees above the soul Horn  at Midnight and Low in the West Southwest before Dawn. Third world debt alarms new . President United nations api Argentine foreign minister Dante m. Capulo was elected president of the 43rd general As Sembly tuesday and promptly denounced developed nations for their pitiless sys tem of piling up third world debt. Capulo was swiftly cd cycled after the 159-Nalion world body convened in a mood of optimism and conciliation Over Many International issues despite the bitter presidential contest Between Cape to and Barbados ambassador to the . Dame Nita Barrow in his inaugural speech Capulo set the tone for his yearlong presidency of the world body which is dominated by poor developing nations and distanced himself from much of Floc industrialized West. Caputo cited the contrast Between Polit ical peace and economic injustice. The widening of the Gap Between Rich countries and a Large part of the developing  the 47-year-old former professor and pol Ilidan was elected by a vote of 91 to 66, with Tine abstention in secret balloting by 158 nations. South Africa the 159th Mem Ber is disqualified from voting. The abstain Agni Ilion was not identified. The Post is largely ceremonial but the president has weal prestige and can Wield considerable influence in setting agendas limiting speeches and suiting the Lone for debate. Capulo s election was a major setback for Britain which lobbied against him new . President of Anlo Caput of a i Nelna Bangs the Ravel to by run his duties. Under Secretary i Nurul Joseph Reed is it right and an aide is in the Center. Nurse and Public health expert who be came inc Barbados envoy in 1986, the United Stales did not disclose its secret Vole. And for Dame Nila. Britain and Argentina were foes in the falklands War of 1982 won by Britain and the Gen eral Assembly consistently has taken Argentina s Side the race was expected to be close but Capulo won handily Over the 71-year-old diplomatic sources said Caputo who had been courting Black Africa won Many votes in inc non aligned movement. He also won votes of the soviet Union and socialist countries Cuba Japan Arab nations which need Argentine food and some european nations which have Emi Grant tics to Argentina the sources said. In his speech after tuesday s election Caputo praised inc improved atmosphere for International cooperation by twin East and West he cited . Achievements in the Iran Iraq cease fire Afghanistan settlement Western Sahara and Ole areas he pointed to the Sharp deterioration of inc situation in israeli occupied Terri tories. He called for an International peace conference on inc Middle East and supported the right of All slates in the Region to exist within Safe boundaries and the right of the palestinian people to self determination. Bui he reserved his strongest com ments to condemn the economic Gap be tween the industrialized and the devel Oping world. Capulo noted the remarkable differ ence Between All the Progress made toward ensuring world peace and the Little or Noth ing we have done to prevent the widening of the Gap Between Rich countries and a Large part of the developing  he warned that High interest Rales to Gimp or with the pitiless system of successive refinancing plans and the perverse outflow of financial resources of indebted countries to creditors will end up eliminating possibilities of investment for the developing world fall gets earlier Start this year Washington a the autumnal Equinox occurs at mid afternoon on thursday the earliest Start of fall in this Century. The actual moment of the Equinox is 19 29 univer Sal Lime or 3 29 . Eastern Daylight time. This is the earliest arrival of the Equinox since 1897, reports Leroy Doggett head of the nautical almanac office at the . Naval Observatory Here. The Equinox is trying to move in the direction of sept. 21," and will continue to do so until 2100, when the absence of a leap year will shift it to later dates again. Dog Cit explained. It in t a smooth change though since the four year Cycle of inserting an Clra Day m leap years lends to shift the dates of natural Phenomena such As the Coqui a orcs and solstices at least on the Calendar. The equinoxes arc the Days of about equal amounts of Daylight and darkness marked by the Sun s apparent Cross ing of the Equator on it annual trip North or South. Many people including Calendar makers arbitrarily consider the autumnal Equinox the Start of fall and the Spring Equinox the Stan of Spring although there Are no official definitions of those seasons. The tendency of the Equinox to occur earlier in the year will be seen again in four years when it comes at 18 44 Universal time on sept. 22, 1992, and also when it is at 18 01 it on sept. 22, 1996. And since 2000 is a leap year the Equinox will Edge All the Way Back to 17 29 Universal time on sept. 22 that year. Universal Lime also known As Greenwich time is five hours ahead of Eastern Standard time and four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight time. All this Equinox shifting occurs because inc Earth s actual year docs l come out to an even number of Days. The Gregorian Calendar now in use is 365 Days Long 366 in leap years but it lakes 365 Days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go from one Equinox to the next. The leap Day added every four years Means that the Calendar averages out to 363 Days 6 hours. That Means there is a difference of 11 minutes and 14 seconds. To compensate the Calendar skips leap Days in most Century years. The year 1900, for exam Pic was not a leap year. But there s an exception Century years that can be divided by the number 400 arc leap years. So 2000 will be a leap year getting an extra Day. And that Means the Calendar year will be a Little longer causing the Equinox to occur a Little earlier. Thus the Equinox won t go Back to its later dates unlit after 2100, which won i be a leap year since it can t be divided by 400. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Sept. 22, 194s several people were arrested during a communist led Demonsi Alion to proies uhe showing of the american movie the Iron curtain in Brussel s largest theater. 30 years ago today sept. 22, 1958 officials of the european com Mon Market reported they had made Progress in Fram ing a european free Exchange Lone at a three Day mat ing in Venice Italy. 20 years ago foday. Sept 22, 1968 fearing future hostilities in its dispute with Malaysia philippine president Ferdinand Marcos asked the United slates if it was prepared to stand by its treaty commitments 10 defend the Philippines. To years ago today. Sept. 22, 1978 a Sharp disagreement Between president Carter and israeli prime minister menace him begin Over jewish settlements in the West Bank threatened further Mideast peace negotiations