Is it true we'll be able to see Mars up close on August 27th?

Question

I got this forwarded email, and I'm wondering about its validity.

On Monday, 27 August 2007, there will be two moons
in the night sky. In addition to the earth's moon,
planet Mars will shine the brightest. It will
look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This
will happen on Aug. 27, when Mars comes within 34.65M
miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27
at 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons!
The next time Mars comes this close is in 2287.

Answer 1

No. As others will attest, this is a hoax that seems to circulate every August.

It seems to have started in 2003, when Mars was fairly close to the earth. Although Mars was not really much closer than usual at that time, it made the headlines because it (barely) broke a 60,000-year record for closeness.

At that time, you could look at Mars through a TELESCOPE of about 70 or 80 magnification, and it would look as big as the full moon. (This condition actually happens every couple of years.)

Somehow, the story spread through email, but they left out the part about the telescope! People started thinking that Mars would look that big with just the naked eye. That is of course completely false. To the naked eye, Mars never looks like anything but a bright star.

To make matters worse, the story has recirculated every August since then. They just change the "2003" to the current year.

The fact is, Mars happens to be pretty far from the earth this month. It will not make its closest approach until December.

Answer 2

*Sigh* the reality is this digital mail is from 2003, keeps resurfacing each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days and is the bane of my existance. Mars got here "close" to Earth in 2003. It replaced into approximately 34,646,418 miles from the Earth. it extremely is greater desirable than 34 million miles!! despite the fact that it extremely is seen "close" in astronomical words. Being so "close" to us, the planet brightened to a -2.9 seen value. It brightness replaced into only 2d to Venus (appropriate you may now see Venus interior the ENE around 5 am interior the constellation of Gemini; Mars gadgets interior the West very quickly after sunset). This "surprising View of Mars which you will in no way See back on your Lifetime" digital mail keeps resurfacing each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. the only way Mars could ever look as large as an entire moon could be if it replaced into knocked out of its orbit and headed in the direction of us. no longer a happy thought. The comet which impacted the Earth, replaced the climate and at last brought about the extinction of the dinosaurs, replaced into only 6 miles in diameter. Mars is approximately 4,213 miles in diameter, making it plenty greater desirable than that comet. Neither Mars nor the Earth could stay to tell the story a collision of the two planets. even nonetheless there is not any "surprising, in no way earlier seen and not in any respect Will back" journey for Mars this August, circulate out and revel interior the night sky besides.