No, Mars will NOT be as big as the Moon on August 27!
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It’s almost “Mars-Moon hoax” or “two Moon hoax” day, but rest assured there will be no “Mars-Moon spectacular” on August 27.
Every two years social media posts claim that Mars will be as big as the full Moon on on August 27.
It’s fake news.
Sadly, the hoax has been going on for 17 years and you’re very likely to see these bizarre claims it on social media in the coming week.
Let’s get this straight: Mars will never appear to be as large as the full Moon in our sky.
“If only the hoax were true—it would be much easier to see the surface of Mars!” said Martin Griffiths, a Wales-based science communicator, professional astronomer at Dark Sky Wales and author of Dark Land, Dark Skies: The Mabinogion in the Night Sky. “Mars and the Moon cannot possibly be the same size in the sky—the Moon is much closer and therefore is always going to be the bigger astronomical object.”
Where does the hoax come from?
The hoax dates from 2003 when Mars and the Earth were, technically, closer than they had been for a few thousands years … though the “Mars as big as the Moon” was a misunderstanding; in fact, a telescope has to be used to get anything approaching an impressive view of Mars.
However, Mars and the Moon do get very close to each other each month this summer, and on September 5, 2020 they will appear in conjunction to the naked eye.
That’s going to be a beautiful sight, and though Mars will look bright, it won’t look big. “They might be in the same place, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same size,” said Griffiths.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mars-Moon hoax, and when to see the two celestial objects at their best together in the night sky.
Why does the ‘two Moon’ hoax resurface every two years?
Mars becomes a “thing” for us Earthlings to discuss roughly every two years. That’s because Earth takes 365 days to orbit the Sun and Mars takes a slower 687 days. That’s 1.88 Earth years, which puts Mars and Earth reasonably close to an orbital resonance of 2:1.
So just over every two years Earth catches-up on Mars and the planets briefly line-up. At that point they’re closest together, and Mars looks its brightest and largest in the night sky.
However, the red planet still looks pretty small.
Why the ‘two Moon’ hoax cannot be true
Why is the “Mars hoax” wrong? Obviously Mars is much larger than the Moon, but it’s also much, much further away. On average Mars is 142 million miles away from Earth, and on August 27, 2020, it will be 47.5 million miles away. It will get closest to Earth on October 13, 2020 when it will be 38.6 million miles distant.
Meanwhile, the Moon is, on average, just 238,900 miles from Earth. Sure, the Moon is smaller than Mars in real terms—about half the size, in fact. However, to appear to be as big as the Moon, Mars would need to be about twice the Earth-Moon distance, so about 476,000 miles.
On September 5, 2020 the Moon will appear to be close to Mars … and far, far bigger and brighter.
Jamie Carter
When will the Moon and Mars next be closest?
On the evening of September 5, 2020, the Moon will make a close approach to the red planet. Look east after dark to see the two in conjunction.
However, even then the Moon won’t be full. It will be 86% illuminated, known as a waning gibbous Moon.
So, the Moon and Mars will be in conjunction, but at no point will the latter match the former for size.
When is the next full Moon?
This is another weird part of the hoax. The hoax gives the impression of two “full” orb-like objects, yet there’s rarely going to be a full Moon on August 27 … this year the closest one is on September 2, 2020.
Mars will come into opposition this October 2020.
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When to see Mars at its brightest, biggest and best
On October 13, 2020, Mars will reach opposition. At that point it will be closest to Earth, 100% illuminated from our point of view, and shine at its brightest in our night sky. It will also rise at dusk and set at dawn, making it the ideal time to put a telescope on our near neighbor.
Technically speaking, Mars will look its best since 2003, but don’t get too excited. “Mars is only about as half as big as Mars—it’s not a big planet— and although it will get bright during opposition, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be huge,” said Griffiths. “People will get excited—especially with the Perseverance rover on the way to Mars—but the problem we always have is that Mars through a telescope is disappointingly small. It’s really hard to see anything on its surface.”
So, next Thursday, August 27, don’t go outside looking for something astounding because Mars will not be the size of the Moon.
However, wait until September 5, 2020 you will see a beautiful Moon-Mars conjunction.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
