-> Lovely Saturn is going to have a close encounter with Earth this year on 
-> New Year's Eve. 
  
Oh poppycock! Saturn's distance from the Earth is always between about 
8.5 and 11.5 Astronomical Units (the former when it is near perihelion 
and at opposition, and the latter when it is near aphelion and at 
conjunction with the sun). This New Year's Eve, it will be close to the 
former situation, but only very slightly closer than it was just over a 
year ago, at the last opposition, or than it will be in January 2005, 
at the next opposition. 
  
The "29 years", of course, is just Saturn's orbital period, until its 
next perihelion. 
  
                            dow 
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