Space Weather News for August 4, 2007
http://spaceweather.com
BEWARE THE MARS HOAX: It's August, which means it's time for the annual Mars Hoax. An email is going around claiming that Mars will approach Earth on August 27th; the encounter will be so close, the email states, that Mars will rival the full Moon in size and brightness. (Imagine the tides!) Don't believe it. The Mars Hoax email first appeared in 2003. On August 27th of that year, Mars really did come historically close to Earth. But the email's claim that Mars would rival the Moon was grossly exaggerated. Every August since 2003, the email has staged a revival.
Here's something that is true: Mars is having a close encounter with the Pleiades star cluster, easily seen in the eastern sky before sunrise. Especially good mornings to look are August 6th and 7th when the crescent Moon joins the planet and the cluster to form a pretty celestial triangle. Set your alarm!
MANMADE NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: This morning in Florida, NASA's Phoenix Mars lander blasted off from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta II rocket. The rocket's exhaust created a beautiful display of luminous, night-shining clouds. See the photos at http://spaceweather.com.
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