Spectrum Scientifics Blog

The planet Mars has a yearly orbit about 1.5 months shy of two Earth years. This means that a little over every two years Mars reaches what is called opposition in the night sky, where Earth and Mars are at their closest. This is usually the best time for viewing.

In the summer of 2003, Mars reached its closest opposition in over 50,000 years. Many announcements were sent out about it and it was considered a major astronomical event.

Unfortunately, someone took one of the more hyped-up emails announcing the 2003 opposition, read that opposition happens every 2 years and decided to send it out again for the summers of 2005, 2007, and now 2009. Mars has become spam email.

You may have gotten this email. It is the 2003 email verbatim, with the claims that Mars will be at its closest in 50,000 years, etc. you may have even sent it on to others.

Its not true.

First of all, there will be no opposition in 2009. The next Martian opposition happens in January of 2010.

Second of all, the original email was, shall we say, a bit hyperbolic. The email claims that Mars (in 2003) would appear ‘as big as the Moon’. There are other less spectacular false claims made in the email as well.

We’ve gotten queries about this email as we head into summer and it makes it biannual rounds, we are happy to inform folks about the truth of the matter. But if you see this email, please do not forward it. Let it die.

Let’s hope that for 2011, we do not see this email making the rounds again.

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Filed under: Astronomy