What will I be watching for?Will the moon turn red or what?
2006-08-27 15:16:34 · 3 answers · asked by taffybuddybearmolly 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
It is a hoax. Don't you think that if Mars was as large as the moon tonight, that it would have been in all the newspapers and on the news?
Mars did make an extraordinarily close approach to Earth several years ago, culminating on 27 August 2003, when the red planet came within 35 million miles (or 56 million kilometers) of Earth, its nearest approach to us in almost 60,000 years. At that time, Mars appeared approximately 6 times larger and 85 times brighter in the sky than it ordinarily does. (The message quoted above was often reproduced with an unfortunate line break in the middle of the second sentence of the second paragraph, leaving some readers with the mistaken impression that Mars would "look as large as the full moon to the naked eye" and not realizing that the statement only applied to those viewing Mars through a scope with 75-power magnification.)
Although Mars' proximity to Earth in August 2003 (referred to as a perihelic opposition) was a rare occurrence, the red planet comes almost as near to us every 15 to 17 years. To the unaided observer, Mars' appearance in August 2003 wasn't significantly larger or brighter than it is during those much more common intervals of closeness.
Mars had another close encounter with Earth in in 2005, but that occurrence took place in October (not August), and the red planet appeared about 20% smaller than it did during similar circumstances in 2003.
When it doubt, SNOPES!
2006-08-27 15:26:07 · answer #1 · answered by TaxMan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard today that that whole thing is a hoax. I'm bummed, because I was going to watch it !!
2006-08-27 22:18:57 · answer #2 · answered by Schleppy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What is it that is supposed to happen???? Sorry I am not with it...I don't keep up with stuff like that.
2006-08-27 22:23:39 · answer #3 · answered by chazzer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋