will mars actual been seen as large as the moon in your (Australian)skies over the next few weeks.?

Answer 1

Every year since 2003, this rumor has circulated. It’s simply not true. In its current orbit, Mars will never appear as large as a full moon.

Every 26 months or so, Earth makes a close approach to Mars, as we overtake the Red Planet in our faster orbit around the Sun. Because both Earth and Mars follow elliptical orbits (Mars’s being much more elliptical than Earth’s), some close approaches between the two planets are closer than others. In August of three years ago, Mars came closer to Earth than in the past 60,000 years, but as Neil Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, has stated, that’s “no more meaningful than me swimming a hundred yards out from the California coast (instead of my usual seventy yards) and then declaring to the world ‘I have never been this close to China before.’“

The rumor in 2003 seems to have originated with a factual statement about Mars’s apparent size. In 2003, it had an angular diamter of about 25.1 arcseconds (one arcsecond is one sixtieth of an arcminute, which in turn is one sixtieth of a degree, and it takes 360 degrees to go all around the sky). That’s very close to half an arcminute, which makes for good viewing in a medium-sized telescope. Someone somewhere along the line, however, may have have mistaken the 25.1 arcseconds for 25.1 arcminutes, which perhaps led to the claim that it would appear nearly the size of a full moon (which is about half a degree in the sky). That’s pure speculation, though.

In reality, Mars only gets a little brighter than Jupiter in our night sky—and not nearly as bright as Venus. Furthermore, you’ll have to wait until late December of this year for Mars to reach its brightest. (On the bright side, so to speak, it will be visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.)


Ryan Wyatt
Rose Center for Earth & Space
New York, New York

Answer 2

Mars will appear much larger than the moon soon. Unfortunately it is only viewable in Australia's southwestern quarter. This only happens once every 300 years. Crocodile Dundee (Paul Hogan) is the "master of ceremonies" this year. I'm selling a limited amount of front row seats on Ebay. Ticket price includes a viewing of Paul actually wresting a 22 foot crocodile, footage of the never released Crocodile Dundee in Iraq (part2) , and many other features.

Answer 3

at the same time as that is contained in the sky at a accessible time that you will discover it, Mars shoud be seen in any city's sky. perhaps Manila is brighter and extra polluted than Sydney, yet that ought to extremely have a steadying outcome on the ambience at the same time as viewing planets with the aid of a scope or binoculars. besides, that is going to likely be brighter than the brightest movie star, so in case you have ever considered stars out of your position, then she'll be proper.

Answer 4

No. Never. Not Ever. Have I made myself clear? There is no way that Mars would EVER be seen as large as the moon from ANYWHERE on earth.

Answer 5

Sure. And through a telescope you'll be able to see flocks of migrating pigs flying in front of it.

Answer 6

Although I had my doubts when I first heard about it, I've read enough now to where I'm starting to believe it really will appear that size around August 27th.

Answer 7

If that were happening, our planet would be obliterated very soon.

Answer 8

If this is true, will I be able to see it over here in western Canada?

Answer 9

No. Never. Not anywhere.
Where do you people get this stuff?

Answer 10

dont know