Dear Editor,
I write to clear up a huge misconception that is being pedalled about in an outdated email which is being circulated around the world that Mars can be seen from the earth with the naked eye almost as big as the Moon on August 27, 2008.
Many friends of mine have received the email also and my telephone has kept ringing with enquiries. While I’m not a certified astronomer, I have been a hobbyist of astronomy ever since high school, and it is from that background I write to bring clarity to this issue.
I was moved to write this letter because I was tuned into VOG radio on Friday, August 22 when just after the 7 am newscast I heard the esteemed Ron Robinson giving information that Mars will be seen in the night sky almost as bright as the moon. Then he went on to explain the reason for this, saying that the orbit of the earth and moon will come closest to each other on that day among other things.
When I heard the announcement I said to myself, “Oh no, not again, and no not him too.” I guess Ron may have been sent that outdated email also, somebody somewhere in the world starts up this misinformation chain deliberately and it happens around this time each year. The contents of the email are true except that it applies to August 27, 2003. What the misinformer does is delete the date and certain other key details from an original bulletin from NASA in 2003 and pedal it around in a chain mail between June and August every year after that.
August 27, 2003 was the closest encounter in recorded history as the distance between Mars and earth shrunk to 56 million km due to their respective elliptical orbit paths.
A similar phenomenon occurs on average every 2 years but because the earth and Mars move around the sun on different orbits and at various speeds they are not likely to end up at the extremities of their paths at the same time; for example, in October 2005 Mars was 69 million km away from earth.
With that distance it is impossible to see Mars as big as the moon except with a telescope. In fact, if we were to see Mars the same size as the moon with the naked eye it means Mars would have to be a mere 600,000 km away from earth and that would be catastrophic for both planets; it may be the end of life as we know it.
Mars could be seen with the naked eye on any clear day throughout the year between dusk and early morning once in its orbit it is not hidden behind the sun. Mars in the night sky appears as a star of a reddish colour and is among the brightest lights seen in the night sky – maybe after the moon, Venus and Sirius. The difference is that during these elliptical close encounters between the Mars and earth, because of its closeness Mars appears brighter than (at least) Sirius and may even rival Venus in brightness. But on a normal orbit Mars will fluctuate in the top fifteen brightest night lights depending on its exact position in space.
It is evident that media houses and personalities should consult experts before making pronouncements on astronomical happenings, since coming from a national radio one ‘lil’ bit of misinformation can have the potential to mislead thousands, especially schoolchildren. I hope this piece goes a far way in clearing up this and I hope the correction is made on radio as well.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
