Planetary Alignment and a Meteor Shower

[Cliffmeister2000]

On another astronomical topic - Al, a friend sent me an e-mail that said something about Mars being extremely close to earth on Aug 27th making it look like another moon. Is there any truth to this?

I'm not an astronomer, but I've seen this email for a few Augusts in a row. There's no way Mars will be any bigger than a pin prick next to the moon! The moon is about 250,000 miles away, and Mars is about 35 million miles away.

[emiller]

Well I think I will head up to Prescott for the night since it is too hot down in the Valley. Should be good viewing up there.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Well I think I will head up to Prescott for the night since it is too hot down in the Valley. Should be good viewing up there.

(Jealous)

[alffink]

Theresa

as Cliffmeister was saying the online story about Mars has become an online Hoax, back in 2002, this story was mostly true, that August.....that is if you can find the line that is usually left out, "When viewed through a telescope, Mars could have the apparent size of a Full Moon."
when Mars was 34.6 million miles from Earth at it's closest, but this August, tonight infact when we are looking for Saturn, Venus and Mars along with the Moon to be in the same part of the sky.

But, this year could hardly be more different than 2002, tonight Mars will pretty much on the far side of the Sun when looking at our orbits. Oh tonight Mars will probably have the apparent size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Cliff, Mars rarely comes as close as 35 million as it did in 2002, tonight if I remember correctly, won't be any closer than 170 million miles away, Saturn will be much brighter and it will be nearly 900 million miles away.