answered question
answers (3)
It’s an annual event for emailers and bloggers. Each year, will be bombarded by forwarded emails and messages with titles that scream “Mars will look as large as the Moon to the naked eye!” The messages include comments such as “Is this true?” and “When can I see this?”,The mass mixed message may have begun in 2003.
If you remember, on August 27, 2003, Mars and Earth were the closest in recorded history with a mere distance of 56 million km, according to NASA. This is fact. By using this fact, some people had been sending messages/email.
It's hard to say how the email gets initiated, but it always points to the same date every year (August 27), when Mars will make a historic close approach to Earth, thereby appearing as big as the moon in the night sky.
That's why it's called Mars Hoax Day.
If you remember, on August 27, 2003, Mars and Earth were the closest in recorded history with a mere distance of 56 million km, according to NASA. This is fact. By using this fact, some people had been sending messages/email.
It's hard to say how the email gets initiated, but it always points to the same date every year (August 27), when Mars will make a historic close approach to Earth, thereby appearing as big as the moon in the night sky.
That's why it's called Mars Hoax Day.
source(s):
http://www.ky3.com/news/local/55397572.html
http://blogs.discovery.com/space_disco/2009/08/look-out-mars-is-not-coming....
http://www.ky3.com/news/local/55397572.html
http://blogs.discovery.com/space_disco/2009/08/look-out-mars-is-not-coming....
voted helpful: badaspie
Voted as best: nickunderscore, googamooga, kareul, christhomson, chriswingate, kalane, krazykatie, pellrider, stanar, psionandy
Someone started a chain/viral email falsely claiming Aug 27 is when Mars will be the closest to Earth and will appear as large as the moon in the night sky. Even though it's not true, each year the email message circulates using that date, hence the name "Mars Hoax Day".
source(s):
http://blogs.discovery.com/space_disco/2009/08/look-out-mars-is-not-coming....
http://www.snopes.com/science/astronomy/brightmars.asp
http://blogs.discovery.com/space_disco/2009/08/look-out-mars-is-not-coming....
http://www.snopes.com/science/astronomy/brightmars.asp
voted helpful: badaspie
Because people will believe anything if they read it in an email.... and it's amazing how it never occurs to these people to verify it first before they pass it on.
Doesn't it seem to you, as it occurred to me, that if you looked out the window and saw a planet in the sky that was as big as the moon, you wouldn't #$%^ in your pants and faint? And does anyone really think that this planet will just sneak up on us and be that large on one day only?
We had the Hale-Bopp comet a few years back and you could see it approaching for days and it wasn't nearly the size of Mars in the sky.
I believe Bill Maher had it right when he said, "Americans are stupid"....
Doesn't it seem to you, as it occurred to me, that if you looked out the window and saw a planet in the sky that was as big as the moon, you wouldn't #$%^ in your pants and faint? And does anyone really think that this planet will just sneak up on us and be that large on one day only?
We had the Hale-Bopp comet a few years back and you could see it approaching for days and it wasn't nearly the size of Mars in the sky.
I believe Bill Maher had it right when he said, "Americans are stupid"....
Voted as best: lilyloretta
Related questions
140 characters left
ask any question
