STARGAZER #458 for July 28, 2007

The Mars Hoax is Back

It's back--the Mars hoax, that is. Once again the report is circulating on
the Internet that Mars, appearing as large as the full Moon, is coming closer
than it's ever been--a once-in-a-lifetime event not to be missed.

This is the same report that's come around every summer since August 2003
when Mars did come historically close to Earth and did appear larger and
brighter than usual. When viewed through a telescope, Mars can look as large as
naked-eye views of the Moon, but to naked eyes Mars never appears anywhere near
as large as the Moon, nor even as large and bright as Venus for that matter.

Mars is coming close again in late December, but not nearly as close as
2003. It will be at its brightest, and in the sky all night around Christmas,
undoubtedly making some think of the Star of Bethlehem. We'll talk more about
Mars then.

For now, let's talk about what we read on our computer screens. Without a
doubt the Internet is transforming information access, leading some to suggest
the Internet will soon make books and libraries obsolete. What's available
on-line is truly amazing, but I doubt books and libraries are on the verge of
extinction.

When receiving information from any source--books, magazines, newspapers,
radio, tv, or the next door neighbor--the wise person always notes the source
and views the data with a healthy dose of skepticism, especially
sensational-sounding data. When dealing with the Internet, on which literally
anyone can
post anything, this posture is all the more important.

While no knowledge source is infallible nor should any be accepted
unquestioningly, I've found a couple of sites that are helpful in assessing the
validity of things read on the Internet.

When checking out general information--like reports of computer viruses that
will erase everything on your hard drive, or the poor soul in Nigeria who
needs your help in securing millions of dollars--I like to see what the Urban
Legends Reference Pages (www.snopes.com) has to say.

Relating to astronomy, I have come to have confidence in Phil Platt's Bad
Astronomy website (www.badastronomy.com). Platt, who has a Ph.D. in astronomy,
seems to have no ax to grind beyond setting the record straight on inaccurate
astronomy reports.

For fun, you might see what each has to say about the Mars hoax.

Next Two Weeks. Average sunrise: 6:47 a.m.; average sunset: 8:22 p.m. (for
Waco, TX)
* Tomorrow (July 29) night's full Moon is called Thunder Moon and Hay Moon.
* Aug. 1 is Lammas, a cross-quarter day celebrating the middle of summer.
* The Moon is at 3rd quarter Aug. 5.
* The morning of Aug. 7 the crescent Moon is to the right of Mars and below
the Pleiades star cluster low in the west.

Naked-eye Planets. (The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in
the west due to Earth's west-to-east rotation.)
Evening: Brilliant Venus and fainter Saturn, low in the west as dusk, are
falling into the setting Sun while Jupiter is high and bright in the south.
Morning: Mercury is near the eastern horizon at dawn with Mars high in the
east.

Public Star Party. The Central Texas Astronomical Society hosts its monthly
star party Aug. 4 at the Waco Wetlands beginning at 8 p.m. Activities include
an indoor program, a laser-pointer guided tour of the night sky and
telescope viewing. For a map and directions see my website.


=======================================================

Stargazer appears every other week in the Waco Tribune-Herald and other
Texas newspapers. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives in Waco.
Write him at 918 N. 30th St., Waco, TX 76707, call or fax at (254) 753-6920, or
e-mail at paulderrickwaco@....

Copyright 2007 by Paul Derrick. Permission is granted for free electronic
distribution as long as these paragraphs are included. Please obtain
permission from the author for publication in any other form. To be added to
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removed from) the free e-mail distribution list, send your e-mail address (and
name) to _paulderrickwaco@..._ (mailto:paulderrickwaco@...) .


* * See the Stargazer Web site at http://www.stargazerpaul.com. * *



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