Mars as big as the moon this year????

Hi all. My Son sent just sent me an email from Scotland, Here it is:


MARS SPECTACULAR!
> >
> > 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

Surely Mars won't appear as large as the full moon? is someone having him on or just getting a little carried away with the exaggeration?

Absolute rubbish I'm afraid Bill:(

This sounds like someone took a description of the great Mars opposition in 2003 and got a little carried away with the editing. FTR Mars is at opposition at the end of October and will be best placed for observation at that time. However, it will be nowhere near as big as the Moon in the sky.

Also clearly whoever wrote this knows very little about astronomy and/or telescopes.

and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification

An object in the sky subtends a specific angle no matter what magnification is used to view it!

I could go on but lets leave it there:)

Thanks for that Dave. Exactly - with my limited knowledge - what I told him. If mars was going to be as big as the moon, it wouldnt happen that quick anyway, would it. It would have got larger anually, plus we wouldn't be needing much of a telescope to study it!
Thanks for confirming this for me, I shall email him and advise that he tells the author to change his brand of whisky :lol:
Bill H.

If mars ever appears as big as the full moon in the sky then were all in big trouble!

Maybe it's a special effect for the new War of the worlds film :lol: