This may sound dumb....?

Question

i heard that on August 27th, the earth might move a little enough for us to get a better view of mars????

Answer 1

The earth moves all the time. What the rumour doing the rounds would have us believe is that Mars is going to be especially close to the earth on that date, so close that it will look as big as the Moon. And as a consequence of being so close, a better view of Mars (than normal) will be enabled. But it's not true! It is a hoax, an annually perpetrated hoax.

Sounds like someone told you the rumour or perhaps just some of it, lacking any details.

How the rumour spreads is that someone receives a hoax e-mail and then repeats its contents to a friend from memory, perhaps getting the detail wrong in the process. Like in the children's game, "Chinese Whispers".

These e-mails circulate every summer. Loads of people must get them because Yahoo! Answers gets loads of questions on this subject. I think the hoax is probably more credible if your friend passes this on to you, as you trust your friends and are more dubious/suspicious about unsolicited e-mails from strangers.

What Mars WILL look as big and bright as, on August 27th 2007 when it is 105 million miles away (3 times the claimed distance!) and visible in the constellation Taurus, is the first magntude star Aldebaran, the Eye of the Bull. Mars will look like a twin of Aldebaran, not the Moon. It even appears alongside Aldebaran to make comparisons easier!

SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH, THEN?

Once upon a time, a long time ago, (about 60,000 BC) there was a close approach of Mars to Earth of about 34.65 million miles..

Mars did not come that close to Earth again until 27th August 2003. That was worth remarking upon as a memorable occasion and received publicity. These occasions are called perihelic oppositions.

Mars (magnitude -2.9) was marginally brighter than Jupiter (magnitude -2.8) on that date in 2003. However Venus which is both larger than Mars and nearer than Mars is (as you might expect) always brighter than Mars and varies between magnitude -3.8 and - 4.6.

So the statement in the e-mail that Mars is in August, about to become the brightest planet in the night sky is untrue.

The hoaxers do not know much about astronomy. They just sensationalise and distort the limited facts they have managed to pick up without properly understanding them or their implications.

As Venus has never been seen as large as the Moon and Venus is always brighter than Mars, it follows that Mars will not (as claimed) be seen to be as large as the Moon not on 27th August nor at any other time.

The naive belief that it "could be" that large this time just reveals the hoaxers' lack of understanding of how the Sun's gravity keeps the planets in stable orbits, which means the extent to which they vary in their positions is calculable and predictable.

Humanity has been studying and predicting the planets and their orbits for 4,000 years and writing their findings up in almanacs and now suddenly someone comes along and declares "an unexpected dramatic change in a stable orbit is about to occur", wlthout explaining why that should be so. And expects to be believed!?

So the hoaxers do not understand that planetary orbits have been observed and carefully calculated and predicted for 4,000 years now. The hoaxers, in contrast, seem to be suggesting that planets behave unpredictably and chaotically without any pattern or sense to that behaviour, and further, that they the hoaxers, like the Delphic Oracle of old, have unique divination powers and are passing on their knowledge, to which they alone are privy, to lucky old you.

Whereas all they are in fact passing on is misinformation based on their own ignorance.

Mars, even at its nearest in 2003, was 140 times as far away as the Moon, and it is only twice its size (Equatorial radius of Mars = 3,402.5 km. Equatorial radius of the Moon = 1,738.14 km.).

So how could an object that is twice the size of the Moon but at least 140 times as far away (more like 220 times as far away in December 2007 when it will be 55 million miles away) (and more like 420 times as far away on August 27th 2007, when it is 105 million miles away) ever look as big as the Moon? Does a tomato, a quarter of a mile away, look as big as a cherry held at arm's length?

The only way Mars could ever appear as large as the Moon is if it were to get as close as half a million miles away,

If it did do that, it would be a disaster, causing huge tidal waves on Earth and tsunamai such as we have not seen the like of before. It would not be a thing to gawp at, and say "Oh wow! Awesome!" and tell all your friends to look out for it at 12.30 am !

But of course it won't do that (come within half a million miles of Earth) as Mars has a stable orbit. And therefore. if it cannot come that close to us, it cannot appear as big as the Moon, can it?

The hoaxers have sent out the same e-mail every summer as regards 27 August 2004, 27 August 2005, 27 August 2006 and now 27 August 2007. Again revealing their ignorance of how the Solar System works. Mars has a year that equals 1.88 Earth years and as a result only comes close to us once every 26 months: on 27th August 2003, and then not again until 30th October 2005 and then not again until 18th December 2007.

The idea of it having a close approach on the same date every year is nonsense therefore, it is not like a wedding anniversary or a birthday or Mothers' Day, As the hoaxers seem to believe,

If anyone had have craned their necks and looked at the skies at 12.30 am on 27 August 2004 or 27th August 2006, all they would have got for their efforts was a stiff neck. As Mars was on the far side of the Sun on those two occasions (about 220 million miles away, not 34) and nowhere to be seen, as it was hidden behind the Sun's glare.

That is how much the hoaxers know about astronomy. That is how accurate and worthless their predictions are. Nobody should be taken in by their "knowledge" and nobody should copy and spread their e-mail to others so as "to pass on the exciting news" they have just received.

Snopes.com (see link) have a useful article on the hoax.

Answer 2

True Mars will be a litle closer to earth on august 27. But it won´t appear much brighter than it does right now because Mars is millions of miles away and cant get much closer to earth than about 36 million miles.
Just go out and look east/northeast around midnight. That red angry looking star in between the constellations Taurus and Perseus is Mars. Mars doesn´t get much brighter than this. While your looking in the direction of Perseus look for the Perseid meteor shower which is going on right now and will be peaking sunday morning.

Answer 3

Absolutely and totally false! This is a junk email which has been circulating for the past four years, dating from Mars was actually quite close. This August, Mars is far away from the Earth, and will appear as an insignificant star in the early morning sky. It will be better placed in December, but will still look just like a bright star.

Answer 4

Well, actually the orbit of Mars and the orbit of Earth will be at their closest points in quite some time. Mars will be bigger and brighter than it has been in a long time. So if you have a telescope or binoculars, you will want to go out on a clear night and have a look.

Do not forget the meteor shower expected Aug 10 thru 15. You might have a really good show with many shooting stars. Sunday Aug 12 is being talked about as the center of the shower of Shooting Stars.

Answer 5

Yes its true .I am going to move the planet a bit on Aug 27Th.I was going to do it on Aug 26Th but I have a big game on the 26th.I hope you dont mind waiting an extra day,it will be worth the wait when you mars in all its glory.If I need help can I count on you,its a bit heavy on your own that's all?

Answer 6

nope you are wrong. it is about 2 or even 3 years ago that MArs was as close to earth as never before in a one man's lifespan ... only about 66 million km (about 45 million miles)

Answer 7

Gentleman lands his special private plane in lady's airport. He then ditches unnecessary fuel. Sometimes about 9 months later she may have to contact him with a noisy parcel he left at Lost Property.

Answer 8

Dont like Mars anyway.........Prefer Milky Way.

Answer 9

i heard the same thing. It happened a few years back too!

Answer 10

yup i heard that too well lets wait and see.....