The Speculist

I just received an e-mail with an announcement so astounding that I had to share it with you all:

MARS SPECTACULAR!

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 60,000years 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

So far, it sounds pretty exciting. Not to mention eerily similar to something that happened in August two years ago. Talk about a coincidence. But there's more:

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.

Amazing! I can't wait to see this!

Oh, wait. The e-mail includes a link. Apparently no one who has dutifully forwarded this e-mail over the PAST TWO YEARS has bothered to follow the link to Space.com where the linked article clearly states that all these wonderful things will happen in 2003.

Ah, yes. I remember it well. And for those of you who didn't see it, Mars was not as big as the full moon.

It was three or four times as large.

The e-mail closes with these words of wisdom:

Share this with your children and grandchildren. NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

So true. Would that we could say the same about this clueless e-mail. But I bet it continues to circulate for many years to come.

UPDATE:

What a stroke of luck. Stephen Gordon actually caught a picture of this event. Check it out.