Mars viewing misinformation?

Question

HAS ANYONE RECIEVED AN E-MAIL LIKE THIS?
..."as large as the full moon"
Why would anyone want to start a rumor like this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<< *27th Aug the Whole World is waiting
for.............*
>
> Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night
sky starting August.
>
> It will look as large as the full moon to the
naked eye. This will
> cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within
34.65M miles of earth. Be
> sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It
will look like the earth
> has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this
close is in 2287.
>
> Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE
TODAY will ever see it
> again

I received an e-mail from a friend who had received that e-mail and he wrote me all excited asking about it. I do seem to remember this happening
a while back.

I knew right away it was a load of crap.
I wonder why anyone would start such a rumor. Sick!

Answer 1

Because they have no idea what they are talking about. Send them back a link to this website.

http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2006/08/08/mars-attacks-again-again/

Answer 2

I remember the original misleading emails about Mars looking as big as the full moon. As others have already said, this started a few years ago. The article was a great piece of deception, reporting that, with a 75X telescope, Mars would look as big as a full moon. Well, yeah, if you do the math you will find out that, when Mars is optimal for viewing, if a telescope can make Mars appear 75 times closer, then it will indeed appear as large as the full moon looks to the naked eye. So, the article wasn't technically incorrect, just highly deceptive in how it used a huge font for the phrase "MARS WILL LOOK AS LARGE AS THE FULL MOON!!" and a small font everywhere else.

Apparently, in the latest version of this spam email, the part involving a 75X telescope isn't even included. So, the article has evolved from being misleading to being an outright hoax.

Answer 3

In August of 2003, Mars was 35 million miles away from the Earth. That was its nearest approach in almost 60, 000 years. It appeared 6 times larger and 85 times brighter! (the brightest object in the night sky aside from the moon)!! It looked like a really bright star, not NEAR as big as the full moon. In October of 2005, the Mars opposition was almost 43 million miles away. Mars opposition occurs around every 2 years. This year it occurs in December and Mars will about 54 million miles away! That is not close at all! The email is a hoax! I hope this explained things!!

Answer 4

it rather is a HOAX that has been perpetrated each August for the previous couple of years. the unique tale: In August, 2003, Mars had an "opposition" (close physique of strategies) to earth. Mars rather has an opposition each couple of years; although, the 2003 opposition delivered it nearer to earth than it were for roughly 60,000 years. (yet no longer plenty nearer, strategies you. This "close physique of strategies" became purely approximately 10% nearer than the 2001 opposition and the 2005 opposition. in fact, each 15 years or so, there's a "rather good" opposition that's virtually indistinguishable from the 2003 opposition.) besides, even in spite of the undeniable fact that the 2003 opposition became purely slightly greater advantageous than different oppositions, it made the headlines because of the fact it broke the 60,000 3 hundred and sixty 5 days "record" by purely a hair. as a consequence, there have been dissimilar information memories and emails approximately it. in a single version of the story, it became reported (properly) that in case you have been to view Mars by A SMALL TELESCOPE, it may look with regard to an identical length because of the fact the total moon looks TO THE bare EYE. properly, this have been given misinterpreted because of the fact the story have been given copied and recopied. fantastically quickly, human beings have been saying that Mars and the Moon could seem to be an identical length. They disregarded the section approximately having to look at Mars by a telescope. And, to make concerns worse, the story seems to resurface each August. they only replace the "2003" to despite the present 3 hundred and sixty 5 days is. in fact, there is an opposition this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, even though it is not till December. at that element, Mars would be greater or less (in spite of the undeniable fact that no longer particularly) as close because it became interior the summertime of 2003. And in case you look at it by a telescope of approximately 80x magnification, that's going to look greater or less as huge because of the fact the total moon.

Answer 5

Loads of people have received this hoax e-mail, to judge from the flurry of questions posted on here about it.

Answer 6

This is a recycled myth.It circulated in 2004 as well.