Don't Get Snookered by Mars Malarkey

Sky and Telescope: " If no one has asked you about it yet, they probably will. A bogus e-mail chain letter, sometimes titled "Mars Spectacular," has been spreading across the Internet. It claims that on August 27th the planet Mars will dazzle the world, appearing brighter than ever in history and "as large as the full Moon to the naked eye." The problem is that "August 27th" is actually August 27, 2003. Mars did make a historically close pass by Earth at that time. The Red Planet puts on another fine show in 2005, but it will pass closest to us in October and November this year, not August. And, of course, to the naked eye Mars will look like a bright star, not the full Moon."