Seeing Mars As Big As The Moon!

[MA-Caver]

Ceicei's husband fwd-ed this e-mail to me. If it's true then it'll probably be THE most remarkable celestial event since the Haley Bopp Comet a few years ago.

Subject: WE WILL NEVER SEE THIS AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIME
We wont see this again in our lifetime!
...nor will the people of the next 50-to-1,000 life times!
It will be interesting to see it this really does happen next month.
Mars: The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!
This month and next, 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 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.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th 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...

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 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.
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.

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

Nawp... it's a hoax... check this out... http://www.hoax-slayer.com/mars-earth-close.html

 

[michaeledward]

For more than two years, we have been able to observer mars, as big as our television screen. I try and regularly visit the NASA site for Spirit and Opportunity, although www.m2k4.com has long since expired. (don't follow the link, it doesn't go anywhere).

There is an interesting slide show, and several CG videos.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/index.html

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

It's always worth a visit.

 

[Bigshadow]

Heck in 2003, it wasn't as big as the moon. I believe Jupiter and venus still was brighter than mars, if I remember correctly. For mars to appear as big as the moon, it would need to be as close as the moon. I believe if that ever happened, it would cause some interesting gravitational issues here on earth.

 

[MA-Caver]

For mars to appear as big as the moon, it would need to be as close as the moon.

Not necessarily. The planet is (as you see from photo below) is roughly 2/3 the size of ours. Small but still larger than our moon. Which if my sense of scale is correct would probably be the size of a golf ball in the photo.

I believe if that ever happened, it would cause some interesting gravitational issues here on earth.

Indeed it would. Planet would most likely break apart at the plates.

Of course ya'll know Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) would take all the credit.

 

[Bigshadow]

Not necessarily. The planet is (as you see from photo below) is roughly 2/3 the size of ours. Small but still larger than our moon. Which if my sense of scale is correct would probably be the size of a golf ball in the photo.

I should have said nearly as close. Not enough caffine before posting this morning. I undstand our moon is about 1/3 the size of earth and Mars about 2/3. However, I looked at Mars in 2003 on several occasions with the telescope and it did NOT appear even close to the size of the moon. I guess that was what I was getting at. It was certainly bright in the sky, similar to the magnitude of say Jupiter but not like the moon, by far.

Of course ya'll know Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) would take all the credit.

Actually, Chuck Norris would save the planet and round house kick Mars beyond the Kuiper belt.

 

[Andrew Green]

http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp

sorry

 

[Shaolinwind]

Nawp... it's a hoax... check this out... http://www.hoax-slayer.com/mars-earth-close.html

I hate hoaxes. They get me all excited that something super cool is FINALLY happening.