[extropy-chat] [ASTRO/BS?] Mars as big as the moon?

[Joseph Bloch]

Oh, I don't need to be an astronomer to know this is BS...

Joseph

The Avantguardian wrote:

>Some well meaning friend forwarded this to me.
>
>I am thinking this HAS to be nonsense, but I am not an
>astronomer. Amara? Anyone?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Cobb, LynJason
>[mailto:LynJason.cobb at cbnorcal.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 12:38 PM
>To: ****Menlo Park -El Camino
>Subject: Mars Spectacular!!
>
>Subject: MARS SPECTACULAR!
>
> Now this looks like it might be fun to catch a look
>at?!
>
>
>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
>
>By August 27, 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
>
> 
>
>
>The Avantguardian 
>is 
>Stuart LaForge
>alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu
>
>"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
>-Bill Watterson
>
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>  
>