[SMCARA] Beware the Mars Hoax

[J D Delancy]

The MARS hoax is confirmed by snopes: 
http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "SpaceWeather.com" <swlist at spaceweather.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 3:05 PM
Subject: Beware the Mars Hoax


 Space Weather News for August 4, 2007
 http://spaceweather.com

 BEWARE THE MARS HOAX: It's August, which means it's time for the annual 
Mars Hoax. An email is going around claiming that Mars will approach Earth 
on August 27th; the encounter will be so close, the email states, that Mars 
will rival the full Moon in size and brightness. (Imagine the tides!) Don't 
believe it. The Mars Hoax email first appeared in 2003. On August 27th of 
that year, Mars really did come historically close to Earth. But the email's 
claim that Mars would rival the Moon was grossly exaggerated. Every August 
since 2003, the email has staged a revival.

 Here's something that is true: Mars is having a close encounter with the 
Pleiades star cluster, easily seen in the eastern sky before sunrise. 
Especially good mornings to look are August 6th and 7th when the crescent 
Moon joins the planet and the cluster to form a pretty celestial triangle. 
Set your alarm!

 MANMADE NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS:  This morning in Florida, NASA's Phoenix Mars 
lander blasted off from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta II rocket.  The 
rocket's exhaust created a beautiful display of luminous, night-shining 
clouds. See the photos at http://spaceweather.com

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