The Mars monster that won't go away

Just like the monster in the old grade-B movies, this one just won't die. The Mars hoax seems to have an annual life of its own, no matter how many times astronomers try to kill the "beast," it just keeps coming back.

It is bad enough that this "thing" starts traveling the e-mail circuit each year at about this time. Now a nationally distributed cartoon strip has started talking about it. I only hope that in the cartoon strip the cartoonist will drive a stake into the heart of this zombie once and for all.

It goes like this: Someone sends you an e-mail that says in August the planet Mars will be as close to Earth as it ever has been and will appear as big as the full Moon, and this is a "once-in-a-lifetime event, no one alive now will ever see it again" and on and on.

Please, please, please, if you get one of these monsters -- hit the delete key and make it go away.

This all started in 2003 when Mars did make a close approach to Earth in its orbit. This nearness, called opposition, happens every two years and change. Opposition means the object at opposition will appear opposite the Sun in the sky at sunset and be in the sky all night long.

In 2003, Mars and Earth were as close to one another as they had been in thousands of years. Even so, Mars appeared as a very bright dot in the sky. But that was it -- just a dot. I know because I observed it then. It was the focus of attention at the Nebraska Star Party held at Merritt Reservoir near Valentine. Everyone had their scope on it.

Longtime observers noted little difference between its appearance that year compared to similar events in 1988 and 1971, when Mars was almost as close.

Meanwhile, astronomers had spread the word about the 2003 opposition far and wide. News releases included a phrase such as this: "In a telescope at 75x power magnification Mars could look as large as the full Moon viewed with the naked eye."

Then in 2004 someone found the quote about the 2003 opposition and sent it off on the Internet only somehow, the part about the telescope and 75x power magnification was dropped. All that was left was the "appearing as large as the full Moon" part.

Also there was a bit about this being a once in a lifetime event but that part was true, an opposition that close does happen only once in about 60,000 years and I think that would cover the once-in-a-lifetime part.

Not only did Mars not appear as large as the full Moon in 2004 in August, but at that time Mars was completely around on the far side of the Sun and couldn't even be seen from Earth at all.

Ever since, this "thing" pops up making its rounds each summer with almost the same wording. It is almost like someone keeps a copy of this "thing" and deliberately sends it out just for grins and giggles.

If you would like more information about the Mars hoax use your favorite web browser and go to www.snopes.com and search for "Mars hoax." There is a wealth of material there.

I haven't received this hoax in my e-mail yet, although one person has asked me about it. If one of these "things" does show up in your e-mail, keep your delete key handy.

SKY WATCH: Full Moon, June 7. Don't miss the Moon's occultation of the star Antares in Scorpius on Saturday, June 6. Look in the southeast. The star will already be occulted when the Moon rises, but will exit from behind the right side of the Moon at about 9 p.m. MDT. Binoculars will work fine to observe this event.

NEXT TIME: More astronomical blathering.