I received two emails from relatives stating that on August 27 Mars will be closest to the Earth than it’s been in 6000 years and we will be able to see it with the unaided eye almost as clearly as the earth’s moon.
Is this correct?
Thanks,
hh
It appears to be a hoax.
I doubt it. Mars is so far away that it is visible only as a large dimmish red star to the naked eye. Venus is both closer and much larger, and is the brightest object in the night sky after the moon… and comes nowhere close to being as clearly visible and bright as the moon (Venus appears as a large bright whitish star to the naked eye). Mars might be just plain easier to see than usual, but it’s a matter of degree. Almost as clear as the moon? No way, Jose.
No.
The email is a fossil from 2003:
Whoever wrote it neglected to include the year, so it pops up every year about this time.
Here’s last weeks thread on the subject:
Mars approaches (question for astronomers)