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General Introduction To the Year 2011

What's 2011 is treating us with? As Venus mostly will be a morning star during the first halve of 2011, Mars is reaching its conjunction by February 4th and interestingly will be back to the 6" of apparent diameter by early November, heralding a new Mars Observation Campaign thus spanning 2011-2012. Another remarkable -and rare- feat is that Jupiter, this year, is reaching a perihelion, reaching to the large apparent diameter 49.6" or ½ degree! As far as solar and lunar eclipses are concerned, 2011 is displaying four partial solar, and two total lunar eclipses as that 4:2 solar/lunar eclipses combination in a single year is rather rare with only five occurrence to come during the 21st Century (2029, 2047, 2065, 2076 and 2094). In terms of space 2011 is shaping itself like a important year in terms of missions launching or arriving at their target as well as of anniversaries of great space feats in the 1960's. MESSENGER arriving at Mercury, DAWN at Vesta, or President Kennedy May 25th, 1961 address announcing that the USA were to land men on Moon before decade's end and return them safely back Earth!