Giant Mars rumour is an internet hoax

BOFFINS ARE BAFFLED that so many people actually believe an Internet hoax that claims that Mars will be the size of the moon this weekend.

The rumour, which is based on a true fact that Mars was the closest it had been to the Earth about this time in 2003, has been sent in spam emails.

The email claims that "The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! ... Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye."

The email was enough for ABC News to send a hack to locate a boffin to confirm or deny the rumours. When Dr Jonathan Clarke of the Mars Society stopped laughing, he pointed out that if Mars were the size of the moon it would mean that the planet would be so close that the gravity really would be causing problems for us.

According to Clarke, even during the 2003 approach Mars looked like a pinprick of orange-red light in the sky to the unaided eye.

He helpfully pointed out to the scientifically challenged audience that Mars would look as big as the moon if you looked through a really, really big telescope.

For what it is worth, Clarke isn't too upset with the Internet hoaxers. He said that if it got people away from their computers and looking at the sky then it was probably OK.

Mars is one of the brightest objects in the sky at the moment. It is the red one that doesn't flash or land at a near-by airport.

The story can be found here. µ