See Snopes for the info about it at http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp
Actually, Moon will be in Capricorn and Mars will be Taurus on Aug 27, 2007.
The true event on the 27th this year is that Venus turns Retrograde in Virgo and will turn direct again September 8 in PDT in Leo. (She spends about three weeks in a sign.)
The hoax going around reads:
“On August 27, 2007 two Moons will rise in the
midnight sky, and the whole World will be waiting
for this once in many a lifetime spectacular event.
Starting in August, the planet Mars will be the
brightest object in the night sky. It will look as
large as a full Moon to the naked eye. This will culminate on August 27th, when Mars comes
within 34.65 million miles of Earth.
So, be sure to watch the sky on August 27th from midnight to 12:30AM. It will look like the
Earth has two Moons.
The next time Mars comes this much close will
be in the year 2287.”
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HEADS UP! The following information about Mars coming close to the earth has been circulating, and apparently isn’t true. I initially got it in an email from a good, and intelligent friend. I saw it on another’s myspace page. I even heard a newswoman report it as fact - goes to show how much we can trust the news. But according to knowledgeable sources urbanlegends.com it’s old news (in 2003 Mars did come really close to the earth) repackaged to circulate again. And to think I was looking forward to it!
[ 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 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 10 p.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 12:30 a.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 ]
It’s a hoax, darnnit. Check out Urban Legands web site: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_mars_encounter_2006.htm
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