If you're waiting and hoping to see two moons in the sky tonight, you'll be disappointed to hear that talk of two moons on August 27, 2010 is a hoax. "It's totally made up," Canadian astronomer David Lane told CBC News. "It's actually a lousy time to look at Mars."
The rumor was perpetuated by an email chain that starts its message in all caps:
"SEE MARS AS LARGE AS THE FULL MOON ON 27TH AUGUST 2010 Should be spectacular! Truly a once in a lifetime experience!"
EarthSky fact-checked the message and found it had no grounding whatsoever:
In fact, in August of 2010 Mars appears as modestly bright star in the western evening sky. Mars was substantially brighter earlier this year, shining most brilliantly when this world came closest to Earth for the year on January 27, 2010.
The Mars moon hoax has been around since at least 2007. If Mars was close enough to look like the moon, experts say water tides would be affected and tracts of land would submerge.
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