Ask an Astronomer: Mars and the Moon on August 27

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On August 27, Mars will appear adjacent to the Moon around 1-2 AM, but misconceptions about their relative sizes and distances are common. Mars is approximately 37 million miles away, while the Moon is only about 250,000 miles from Earth, creating a significant size disparity. The idea that Mars will look as large as the Moon is a recurring hoax, often circulated in August, and is not based on current astronomical conditions. Currently, Mars is on the opposite side of the Sun, about 200 million miles away, making it far less prominent than the Moon. This discussion highlights the importance of verifying astronomical claims to avoid misinformation.
stevmg
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On August 27 we are supposed to see Mars adjacent to the Moon about 1 - 2 AM so it looks like this picture.

Doesn't make sense. Mars is 37 million miles away while the moon is 1/4 million miles away. That makes the subtended arcs in a 75:1 ratio Moon:Mars (because Mars is twice the diameter of the moon.)

Any comments from anyone?
 

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Ugh, I can't believe this is coming back again. Mars isn't even anywhere near opposition right now - it is on the other side of the sun from us, some 200 million miles away.

About 7 years ago (August, 2003), Mars was closer than it usually gets - by a few percent - and it was probably due to some, some sloppy reporter misunderstanding an astronomer when told that Mars would look as big through an amatuer telescope as the Moon does to the naked eye.

http://www.snopes.com/science/astronomy/brightmars.asp
 
Muchas Gracias!

I thought I was right...

stevmg
 

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