Mars Coming To Large View Hoax
Below is a copy of the "Mars Coming To Large View" e-mail hoax. Note that the original formatting of the e-mail was preserved and this is more or less how it looks when you open it. Read the article Mars Coming To Large View - Is This Hoax Amnesia Or Ignorance where the inconsistencies of the e-mail are explained.
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 22:00 and reach its azimuth at about 03:00.
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 00:30. 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!
NASA confirmed that this e-mail is indeed a hoax. More details can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/07jul_marshoax.htm
