No.
From an e-mail that's making the rounds:
Two moons on 27 August. 27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for Planet Mars which 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 (sic; I think they meant "culminate") 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 read about this a while ago on Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy (link updates, 8/2/2010: see here and here), and I've seen it on snopes.com before. NASA even has a page about it, from when it made the rounds in 2005! It's nonsense, it's wrong, it's untrue, it's easy to investigate, and it's based on a real-honest-to-God e-mail about a real honest-to-God event.
On August 27, 2003 Mars was at opposition, at its closest approach to Earth in some time. It was big and it was bright, but don't you think if it were the size of the freakin' FULL MOON just four years ago, someone would remember that?
No, what the original e-mail stated - four years ago - was that on August 27, 2003 (not August 27, 2007) and through a telescope with "a modest 75-power magnification" Mars would appear as large to an observer looking through the telescope as the Full Moon does to the naked eye.
It's not a hoax, not really. But it's not true. It's a misinterpretation of an e-mail about a real event from four years ago, being forwarded by people for one reason or another. If you're reading this, and you've gotten here by way of a search engine, it means you've taken the time to look into this for yourself. And that's a good thing. Congratulations!
Interesting side note: The full Moon isn't as large as you think it is. Next full Moon, take a new pencil with an unused eraser on it outside with you to a place where you can see the Moon. Hold the pencil at arm's length. Blot out the Moon with the eraser. Ask yourself how you were able to block something so big with something so tiny.
Another note, 9:08 PM August 26, 2007: The big bright thing in the southern sky right now is Jupiter. The bright red star below it is Antares, the Rival of Mars and the Heart of the Scorpion - it's a part of the constellation Scorpius.
Even more interesting side note: in the pre-dawn hours of August 28, the Moon will be in eclipse for much of the Western Hemisphere! Read this transcript from the relevant episode of Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer! Also see this article for full details!
UPDATE!!! Photos of the 8/28/07 eclipse!
Posts
Daryl Sznyter
5 years ago
8 comments:
thanks. i didn't think that was for real - oh well, that would have been too freakishly scary anyway!
ruth
www.ruthallenart.com
www.myspace.com/ruthallent
take care and thanks for the info!
well i don't think its true either, but it would have been great to see if it were true...yet it wouldn't do any harm if one was awake on august 27th to check it out, and maybe i will too:D
thanks for the info dude, God bless
i think that someone out there is just trying to have fun by sending all those rumors! i dont think they are true, but i have to admit that it would be nice to see such thing...its just not meant to be on august 27th 2007!
thanx
Robin
gutted..thought it was true.. came online to see what time i would see in nz.... can't believe this has been circulating for 4 years!! classic. ahh the wonders of the world wide web. thanks for clarifying! :)
You know, as the anonymous poster at 8:47 AM on 8/17/2007 said, it won't do any harm for people to go out and check the sky at 12:30 at night on August 27! Mars will be the thing that looks like a bright red star rising in the East very close to the V-shape of the Hyades, while the Moon will be big and bright and setting in the West. The Milky Way will form a dim, dense band of stars overhead, cross-shaped Cygnus the Swan will loom high overhead, and kite-on-a-string shaped Delphinus the Dolphin will play in the sky just off to the West. Look North and you may see the glow of the Aurora Borealis; keep your eyes open, and you may see some sporadic meteors, or even a satellite or two. Yes, it certainly wouldn't hurt to be out under the sky on this night!
Ruth, your MySpace account doesn't come up. Is the address incorrect, perhaps? I did find this address:
www.myspace.com/ruthallenart
Which does work.
Thanks for the info about August 28th. I was trying to figure out if the August 27th event was for real or not. Thanks for answering my question for me!
As someone who looked at Mars in my 6" scope back in 2007, I can tell you that it didn't look like the moon. Put the moon in a scope and see into the craters. Mars back then looked like a moderately bright star. Although I could see the ice cap at one of the polar regions.
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