MARS HOAX
 

You must have received a mail about the Planet Mars in your mail box recently with subject as “Fwd: See 2 moons in August”. This mail is a hoax but it has done some service to Astronomy by making it popular among masses so that they can at least have a discussion on the matter. We will jus go through the mail again and see why it is a hoax. The original mail is in red and italics followed by explanation:

1. Since this won't happen again between 5,000 and 60,000 years...might be worth a look now: Mars - The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!

Mars always looks spectacular as a small red dot in the black skies!!

2. This month the Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in the year 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.

Mars comes close to earth once in 2 years (26 months to be precise) and that’s called opposition. Last time it happened was in November 2005 and will happen next time in December 2007. Also when both planets are closest, then Mars rises as sun sets but in this case mars is setting within 2 hours of sunset.
This month on 27th August it will be so far away from the earth. Jupiter’s gravity tug has got nothing to with the phenomenon. It came closest to earth in last 60000 years on 27th August 2003 and that’s the only resemblance with the date.
For your information last 2 oppositions and the next one is given below:

2003 Aug 28
2005 Nov 07
2007 Dec 24

3. The encounter will culminate on August 27, 2006 when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification…

When it says it will be brightest object next to moon and with a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 seconds of arc, the statement has no meaning. But the catch in this statement is that through a 75x magnification from the telescope it will look as if you are watching the moon with naked eye. For you information, full moon has a magnitude of -13 which as compared to -2.9 is huge (around 10000 times difference in brightness). Moon as seen with naked eye looks as a circle of 1800 seconds of arc (half a degree) in comparison to Mars as 25.11 arc sec.


4. Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

Totally false statement. As per previous Para, Mars can never look as large as full moon to naked eye. Mars will set within 2 hours of Sunset in august.

5. By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.

Totally false statement: Moon is not a planet first of all. And in august mars will be setting in the evening and will set by 8 hrs IST and Moon will be a crescent on 27th August. The mail which you have received is a copy of the mail meant for 2003 closest approach.

6 Share this with your children and grandchildren.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Yes, share the news with your children and grandchildren because it will invoke their interest in Astronomy !!!! Do see the setting Mars in the evening skies.