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.
Yeah i got this one again just the other day and even on the title it said in brackets (this is not a joke) I must admit this email is improving it was in a power point slide show this time LOL
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........
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.
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...
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...)
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.
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.
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.
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
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......pic attached
Cheers
Chris
Precisely, Chris....and we have exactly this sort of behaviour happening in the science subforum.
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??
Got this off a concerned friend today!! Its baaack!! 
, I'm still smacking myself in the head over it 
Oh, Shelley, you fool... 
Yeah i got this one again just the other day and even on the title it said in brackets (this is not a joke) 
