Mars mania raises telescope sales
( 2003-08-28 14:53) (China Daily)
Telescopes have been selling well over the past two months as astronomy
enthusiasts prepared to take a closer look at Mars. The planet has just passed
nearer the Earth than it has for tens of thousands of years, reports Beijing
Morning Post.
"I sold more than 500 telescopes wholesale in July," said a dealer at a
Tianyi small-goods market. "Everyone's been buying them for the Mars event."
Mars was closer to the Earth yesterday than it has been in 60,000 years,
astronomers said.
As the media began to play up the rare event last month, an increasing number
of people, most of them youngsters, have been scrambling to purchase cheap
telescopes, priced between 20 and 50 yuan (US$2.40-6), to get a glimpse of the
red planet.
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