Skip to main content

Mars Hoax

Sharing from Dr. Mel Blake:

Hi Everyone,

I have gotten several emails with reference to this topic and so I thought that I
would make a collective reply. It seems the Mars Hoax 2010 has started.

Some of you over the next little while will get an email announcement
with regards to a spectacular close approach of Mars (closer than any time
for recorded history). It will say that this event will take place in August and be
the event of your lifetime to see the red planet and it will make claims on how big
Mars will appear in the sky. It all looks very official and sometimes even has NASA
logos. This is because they are reproducing NASA public domain notices.

This email is a hoax. The Red Planet made its closest approach for decades
in August, 2003 around the dates the email quotes. Ever since then, every year,
around this time of year the hoax email has re-surfaced and generated lots of
public inquiries and confusion. I can only guess the motive for the hoax.
It could be simply mischief or else it could be some vendetta against
astronomers. Maybe a student got a bad grade on astronomy?
I suspect it might also be a way to send viruses, so it you get
it and it has an attachment, I wouldn't open it. It might also be used as a way
to test active email accounts. Maybe the folks at computer services might have
other suggestions.

In any case, ignore the Mars email.

For your information, Mars is not particularly close in August. The best planet
to watch then will be Jupiter.

Oh, and Happy Summer Solstice! today the Sun reaches its farthest point
north for the whole year and we will have the longest day and shortest night.
They'll be celebrating at Stonehenge.

Mel Blake
Director, UNA Planetarium and Observatory
Dept Physics and Earth Science

Comments

  1. KimJune 21, 2010 at 12:41 PM

    THANK YOU! I have gotten this email for years. I don't really think there's anything malicious about it, at least not from the people who forward it to me; people just need to take the time to check the facts before they forward!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Faith, Folklore, and FriendsJune 21, 2010 at 1:25 PM

    I know!! Feel free to pass this on.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

The Rattlesnake Saloon was opened on Labor Day, 2009.  Dining there is an unique experience. It is way out in the boonies in Colbert County, Alabama.  It is hard to get to, even for locals, but they have had visitors from all over the United States and many countries throughout the world. Sitting comfortably under the huge rock overhang, I couldn't help but think about the people who have sought shelter there from storms or heat.  I can imagine the Native Americans using this place for a meeting area or a dry place to camp for a while.  Not so many years ago, it was used as a pig pen. They have good food and live music and a hitching post if you want to ride your horse there.  Most of us were picked up in a pickup, called the "Saloon Taxi", that runs from the parking lot to the restaurant continuously while they are open. The Rattlesnake Saloon is aptly named.  During construction, workers unearthed a mother rattler with twelve babie...
1 comment
Read more

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.
Post a Comment
Read more

Old Water Tower in Florence, Alabama

So, we have lived in Florence since 1986 and I didn't see this old water tower until last week.  Shame on me.   It is located on Seymore Street, in a residential neighborhood in Florence. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this tower of native stone was completed in 1890 as the foundation for a wrought- iron tank with a capacity of 280,000 gallons of water. It is 70 feet high and is located on the highest elevation in the city. Water was pumped here from Cypress Creek. It was constructed during the Industrial Boom at which time the population of Florence increased from approximately 2,000 in 1887 to over 6,000 in 1889. It was replaced by the adjoining standpipe in 1935.   (from historical marker on site.)   I'm sure there was lots of planning, lots of discussion about funding, and lots of joy when this water tower was completed.  Not one person who was there to celebrate its completion is alive today, but the water...
1 comment
Read more