Mars hoax again!!

[Liz]

:eyepop:Got this off a concerned friend today!! Its baaack!!

Two moons on 27th August 2010
27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for..............

Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles off earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27
12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons.






The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.



Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.

[shelltree]

Bahaha! I'm ashamed to say I fell for this once :whistle:, I'm still smacking myself in the head over it :doh::rolleyes: Oh, Shelley, you fool... :rofl:

[Jen]

:mad2: Yeah i got this one again just the other day and even on the title it said in brackets (this is not a joke) :lol::lol:
I must admit this email is improving it was in a power point slide show this time LOL :rolleyes:

[Liz]

Alas, it gets sooooo many people, including teachers :eyepop:, who try and organise astronomy nights!!!


OOOh, Powerpoint Jen, nice. :lol:

[leon]

Well here we go again, has 12 months pasted so quickly. :shrug: :lol: :lol:

Leon :thumbsup:

[jjjnettie]

I'm tiring of it now. I used to see it as a chance to outreach, but when you get the same people getting sucked in every year....well........

[AstralTraveller]

Too true. Sorry mate, but it's a sign of old age. When I was young years took forever.

[batema]

I've had about 1000 students come to me and say "guess what sir? I am definately over it. Ever year.

Mark

[AstralTraveller]

Yep, I understand. A friend seems to have endless energy countering myths and bad science but I can't do it. If I'm asked then I'll answer but I won't seek out opportunities to counter the bull.

[bloodhound31]

It will, "cultivate?" What's it going to do? start spreading red weed?

Yep, had to post a big raspberry on Facebook yesterday as I had three friends send me emails saying, "did you know about this?"

I don't know why, but this stupid trash actually gets under my skin and annoys me. And here was me saying in a conversation just the other day, that with the availability of the information superhighway, humans are much smarter and better informed than ever before...

I'll just go have a glass of wine now to wash down my hat...

[Octane]

They got one detail in the hoax email wrong (as they do, each year).

The next time Mars will be as big as the Moon is August, next year.

H

[Omaroo]

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[DavidU]

LOL H.
If it was only true ! Imagine the views through a scope.

[RobF]

I had a friend send me a Powerpoint similar to this today. When I looked more closely, it actually says "with a relatively low power telescope at 70x Mars will appear the same size as the full moon". It went on further quoting a size of 25" and mag -2.9 - values march reached in Aug 2003.

I suspect what was once (somewhat) correct info for 2003 which WAS an unusually close pass has mutated with chinese whispers alas (note opposition was 27/8/03...)

http://spider.seds.org/spider/Mars/marsopps.html

At least people are interested in astronomy for 20 secs.....:rolleyes:

[renormalised]

He we go again...another of the loony fringe repeating themselves over and over again, like clockwork. Only problem is, their clockwork mechanism is faulty.

[OneOfOne]

I got my first one from my step daughter on Monday, she got it from a friend at work...who is now very disapointed.

I am giving a talk at Ivanhoe Library on 10th August on behalf of the ASV about planets and I have created a couple of slides specifically about this "phenomenon", it's history and essence of truth, ie. actually about 2003 and you need a telescope.

I will also be presenting a talk at the MPAS public viewing night on the 6th and will also mention it then. Actually we have viewing nights every Friday in August for Science Week, and I will be mentioning it every time.

Hopefully I can educate a few people about it.

[Ric]

Again!

Geez old Mars gets around.

I have a mate who works at the Tidbinbilla tracking station who has great fun winding me up every year. He loves to email it out and ask me if it's true.

Of course I fall for it and reply with a big email explaining why it can't happen.

[Screwdriverone]

It always makes me laugh when people ask an amateur astronomer whether they KNOW something as monumental as this going to happen....as if they somehow have INSIDE information that we cant get from our everyday activities doing astronomy....

and then, when you say "thats a load of crap!" they ARGUE with you and say "NAH mate, I got an email from a friend - ITS TRUE" - the bunch of morons...

Oh, by the way, just in case it WAS TRUE after all, I have looked up in Stellarium the time and date in question just to see how BIG Mars is going to be AND where its going to be......pic attached ;)

Cheers

Chris

[renormalised]

Precisely, Chris....and we have exactly this sort of behaviour happening in the science subforum.

[Liz]

Why, why, why??? Same date each year, whats the story?
It leads so many of the public astray, and they cant help it if they are not as .... intelligent as us?? :question:

[renormalised]

People are easily fooled by things that sound as if they're correct, or are sensationalist and such. Why...yes, because they're not intelligent enough, by and large, to see through the nonsense (no fault of their own), but a hell of a lot of so called smart people have fallen for stuff like this. The reason why is they leave all their critical faculties back at home when they see things like this. Plus a great many of them aren't schooled in or have any interest in the sciences. As are the great majority of people for the most part. Science is some sort of esoteric "thing" out on the very fringe so far as most people are concerned and when they hear or read something like this, they have neither the knowledge or experience to back them up...plus many just don't get things when you explain the facts to them, anyway. So they believe the first joker that comes along and spins them a story. If you make it sound convincing enough, throw in a bit of real science and then package it to make it look credible, you can sell ice to eskimos as the old adage goes.

[cybereye]

Hey, is Mars going to be as big as the Moon????;)

Mario

PS ONLY JOKING!!!

PPS I spoilt a friend's niece's birthday party last year because they were going to the Blue Mountains to get a clearer view of "Big Mars". My friend asked my opinion - best time, etc. - and I told her that, hmn (a la Steve Waugh), it was all bulls...!!. She then told her brother who then told his daughter who then cancelled the party in the Blue Mountains. Mario is nasty man, nasty man!

[renormalised]

Killjoy party pooper!!!!:):P:P:rofl:

[cybereye]

Funny, that's what my wife said!!!:)

[renormalised]

Great minds think alike:):P

[mozzie]

yep happened last year,had friends come over and they couldnt be told its not going to happen still went to the pod lined up moon put red filter on and said have a look at that!!!!! after there initial shock of what id done they wernt impressed.still people cant be told....

[renormalised]

People are easily fooled, Peter, and once fooled it's hard to convince them of otherwise.

[jjjnettie]

As I said, I'm over trying to "save" the masses from faulty thinking.
I might take advantage of it and start a doomsday cult instead....
OOOoooh Beware the giant mutant star goat is on it's way.....oh no!!!! Give me money!!!!!!!

[Ric]

I think you'll be onto a winner JJJ.

[JimmyH155]

It's CULTIVATING :lol::lol:on August 27th They cant even get the right word:D:D HA HA HA AAAAGGGGHHHH:P

[mozzie]

:lol::lol::lol:

[RobF]

Oh no - I just know I'm going to have goat dreams now...
Where do I send the money JJJ?? :D

[leon]

Nice one JJJ :lol: :lol:, maybe we could start a, GUESS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SKY TONIGHT, forum and see how many we can suck in. :P

Leon :thumbsup:

[seanliddelow]

Yeah my dad fell hook, line and sinker for this one................
I was getting to bed at 10pm a couple of weeks ago when all of the sudden I got a call.......

"Sean, did you know that Mars is going to be at its largest forever?, You should take some photos of Mars through your telescope on the 27th of August"

As I wasnt in a mood for explaining, I told him "Yeah, I'll check it out tommorow" :P

[Darth Wader]

Just got this e-mail from my mum... I'll bore her senseless with an explanation tomorrow:D

P.S. Woo, 300 posts! Only took 18 months:lol:

[Jaybee]

What gets me is, wouldn't you notice it getting bigger leading up to August 27th?? I mean you would notice a Giant Red ball getting bigger and bigger in the sky wouldn't you, or is it supposed to fly in under cover of darkness SUDDENLY appear Massive on the 27th then Wizz off again? I imagine that would have a bit of a tidal effect too..