K-Tec

Mars Rumors

  • Conor
  • Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Main Sequence
  • Main Sequence
More
19 years 4 months ago #14766 by Conor
Mars Rumors was created by Conor
There's a rumor about Mars going around the internet. Here are some snippets from a widely-circulated email message:

"The Red Planet is about to be spectacular."

"Earth is catching up with Mars [for] the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history."

"On August 27th … Mars will look as large as the full moon."

And finally, "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN."

Only the first sentence is true. The Red Planet is about to be spectacular. The rest is a hoax.

Here are the facts: Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter this year on October 30th at 0319 Universal Time. Distance: 69 million kilometers. To the unaided eye, Mars will look like a bright red star, a pinprick of light, certainly not as wide as the full Moon.


Sign up for EXPRESS SCIENCE NEWS delivery

Disappointed? Don't be. If Mars did come close enough to rival the Moon, its gravity would alter Earth's orbit and raise terrible tides.

Sixty-nine million km is good. At that distance, Mars shines brighter than anything else in the sky except the Sun, the Moon and Venus. The visual magnitude of Mars on Oct. 30, 2005, will be -2.3. Even inattentive sky watchers will notice it, rising at sundown and soaring overhead at midnight.

You might remember another encounter with Mars, about two years ago, on August 27, 2003. That was the closest in recorded history, by a whisker, and millions of people watched as the distance between Mars and Earth shrunk to 56 million km. This October's encounter, at 69 million km, is similar. To casual observers, Mars will seem about as bright and beautiful in 2005 as it was in 2003.

Although closest approach is still months away, Mars is already conspicuous in the early morning. Before the sun comes up, it's the brightest object in the eastern sky, really eye-catching. If you have a telescope, even a small one, point it at Mars. You can see the bright icy South Polar Cap and strange dark markings on the planet's surface.

Moderator of Photography Forum:

www.freeimagebrowser.com/gallery/index.php

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
19 years 4 months ago #14767 by voyager
Replied by voyager on topic Re: Mars Rumors
There was a post about this before somewhere on these boards and it is of course bollox ..... pitty though, it would be nice!

Bart.

My Home Page - www.bartbusschots.ie

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Conor
  • Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Main Sequence
  • Main Sequence
More
19 years 4 months ago #14771 by Conor
Replied by Conor on topic Re: Mars Rumors
was it for real? :shock:

Moderator of Photography Forum:

www.freeimagebrowser.com/gallery/index.php

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
19 years 4 months ago #14772 by dave_lillis
Replied by dave_lillis on topic Re: Mars Rumors

"The Red Planet is about to be spectacular."

"Earth is catching up with Mars [for] the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history."

"On August 27th … Mars will look as large as the full moon."

And finally, "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN."


ITs abit like saying that the Venus transits are a very deadly apparition, in that up until last year, everyone who ever saw one is now dead :lol:

Dave L. on facebook , See my images in flickr
Chairman. Shannonside Astronomy Club (Limerick)

Carrying around my 20" obsession is going to kill me,
but what a way to go. :)
+ 12"LX200, MK67, Meade2045, 4"refractor

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
19 years 4 months ago #14780 by mjs
Replied by mjs on topic Re: Mars Rumors
I am embarrassed to say that the Kerryman newspaper ran with this story two weeks ago!

And even though they also printed our club's article a few pages later they never thought of asking us why we knew nothing about the story? :roll:

Michael Scully, KAC

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
19 years 4 months ago #14783 by Seanie_Morris
Replied by Seanie_Morris on topic Re: Mars Rumors
This is already old news! It is covered by NASA here , and on the boards here .

:!:

Seanie.

Midlands Astronomy Club.
Radio Presenter (Midlands 103), Space Enthusiast, Astronomy Outreach Co-ordinator.
Former IFAS Chairperson and Secretary.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.126 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum