Is it true that on august 27, 2008, mars will be almost as close to the earth as the moon?

Question

Is it true that on august 27, 2008, mars will be almost as close to the earth as the moon?

Answer 1

I'd nearly forgotten the Mars email nonsense.  It keeps morphing into something even more absurd.

The original note said that on Auguest 27th, 2003, Mars looked the same size as the Moon in a 100x telescope.

They meant the same size as the Moon does naked eye.  It was 100 times smaller then.

The next Mars close approach is in January or February 2009.  It won't be as good as it was in 2003.

Answer 2

No, but I have a bridge that I would like to sell to you.

Answer 3

Certainly not! Mars is always much further away than the Moon.

Answer 4

As some have pointed out, this dumb rumor goes around every now and then.  At least the first time was an honest mistake concerning the apparent size of Mars, and it was at the time when Mars was closest to the earth.  This prediction, which has been brought up in this forum a few times, is ridiculous because not only is Mars not near its closest approach, it's almost completely on the other side of the sun.  In October, it will be as far away as it can be, nearly opposite the sun from us. Its next close approach to the earth won't happen until January of 2010!

Just goes to show you how little some people care about facts and how prominent their ridiculous claims can become.

Answer 5

No, Mars never gets anywhere near as close to the Earth as the Moon does. You are the victim of a hoax email that circulates every year around this time.

This is an urban myth which began with an email which was sort of true in 2003, that Mars would be very close and bright. It also had a line in it which suggested that Mars, IN A TELESCOPE, would look as large as the Moon with the naked eye. Somewhere along the way, the "with a telescope" bit disappeared. August 2003 came and went, and many people had wonderful views of Mars through telescopes provided by amateur astronomers around the world.

Then the email resurfaced in 2004, when Mars was on the far side of the Sun. Then again in 2005, when Mars was in opposition in October, not August, and quite a bit smaller. Then again in 2006, when Mars was again on the far side of the Sun. Then again in 2007, when opposition was in December, and Mars smaller still. Now, you're the victim of this fake email in 2008! Mars is again on the far side of the Sun.

When will people learn that astronomical events are predicted for a particular date, which has absolutely nothing to do with Earth years, and you can't just keep recycling the same prediction and changing the year? Everything on Mars happens in a 26 month cycle: August 2003, October 2005, December 2007, etc.

Answer 6

No, Mars can get no closer than about 55 million kilometers.

Answer 7

I'm not sure what you're talking about,

But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say,

No.

Answer 8

Absolutely not.

Mars at its closest, is much farther away than the moon.

Think for yourself:

Mars is never more than a dot to the naked eye.

Compare with the moon.

Answer 9

yes

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. 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 12:30 a.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

Answer 10

No, whoever told you that is more than a little off beam.  Even at closest opposition, it never gets closer than about 55 million km.

Answer 11

No...  Mars was at it's closest about 3 years ago, the closest it will be for the next 60,000 years;  we'll still swing by Mars about every 2 years or so, getting close, but no closer than about 41 million miles.

Answer 12

Where on Earth did you come up with that?  Yep, I know answering a question with a question!  But I couldn't help myself!  

Sorry, it's about like worring about the destruction of 2012, but whatever.  Nah, Mars will not be any closer to the Earth than it ever is, whenever!  The Moon, Mars, and Earth all orbit the sun and do little else than that!  Mars does have it's own Moons-----  

Answer 13

Absolutely not.  Nor will it appear to be the same size.  This appears to be a bit of Islamic nonsense similar to the western enthusiasm for destruction in 2012.  Both are silly and impossible.  

Answer 14

On August 27, 2003, Mars was unusually close to earth, and the news media hyped this fact.  The reality is it was still quite far away, but it was several thousand miles closer than usual.  

If you observed Mars with a modest telescope, it looked as big as the Moon did to the unaided eye.  

Apparently many people feel this is an annual event, and they've forgotten a telescope was needed to make Mars look as big as the Moon.

At this point, Mars is pretty close to the Sun, and it sets before the sky is dark.  The last time it was in opposition was 12/24/2007.  The next time will be 1/29/2010.  Several weeks before and after the opposition dates are a prime time to observe it.