SCIENCE&HEALTH: Red planet approaching

Those who are expecting Mars to appear as large as the moon to the naked eye when it comes closer to Earth this year may just be the victims of an old prank.

Actually the Earth and Mars were as close to each other as they have ever been in recorded history since two years ago, in August 2003.

Mars has come close to earth again, and while some may have gotten some inaccurate information about how close the red planet has come, stargazers in Los Angeles may get a better show this month than even two years ago.

An “eRumor” has been circulating around college Internet circles since June 2005 claiming Mars will be closer to Earth this year than at any time in the last 5,000 years.

Subject lines for the e-mail have been as simple as “Mars Viewing” and as intriguing as “Mars not to miss in August.”

“The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth,” the e-mail reads.

The e-mail advises readers to make sure the amazing sight is not missed by their grandchildren.

Experts say, however, that while the planet will be close to Earth this week, the claims made in the e-mails are scientifically impossible.

“Back in 2003, someone must have written the e-mail but forgot to put the year on it. It took a long time to spread” said Jessica Lu, a graduate astrophysics student and planetarium presenter.

Although viewers are two years late for the closer view of Mars, they may be in store for an even more impressive show this week.

At UCLA’s planetarium, presenters and astronomy students are preparing a special Mars event for Wednesday evening.

“We are planning an event similar to what we did in 2003. All of the telescopes we own will be pointed at Mars for visitors to see,” said Emily Rice, coordinator for the event on Wednesday.

Visitors to the planetarium will be treated to a Mars presentation starting at 7 p.m. and then a viewing of the red planet from one of the many UCLA telescopes on the roof of the Math Sciences Building.

Inside the dome of the planetarium, there will be a short description of what Mars is like. Visitors will learn about the terrain, evidence of water, and the possibility for past life on Mars.

At the telescope viewing, visitors will be able to see the methods and technologies students use to study astronomy.

“Our 24-inch telescope, which has a camera rather than an eye piece, will be taking pictures of Mars ... with filters, so that by the end of the night we can create a color composite of Mars,” Rice said.

While the hoax e-mail said Mars would be as big as the moon to the naked eye, scientists say we don’t have the technology to view Mars that finely.

“From telescopes on earth, you can’t see that much detail from Mars, it is just too small. The Hubble telescope in space can’t even see that much detail,” said Art Huffman, senior lecturer for the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy.

In 2003, the two planets did get closer than they had been in 60,000 years – about 35 million miles closer. By tracking the placement of Mars in the sky, astronomers can track where the two planets are in their individual orbits around the sun. According to the NASA web site, the two planets are not going to be as close as they were in 2003 until 2287.

“Back in 2003, for observers in the Northern Hemisphere Mars rose low in the night sky. Now, this November Mars will be higher in the sky at the opposition date and rise high all through November,” Huffman said.

To the amateur stargazer, Mars’ appearance in August 2003 would not have been noticeably larger or brighter than it is during the fall when Mars is visible to the Northern Hemisphere.

“Even though Mars is further away this year, it will be higher in the sky,” Rice said. The new angle decrease the muting of the stars due to the lights of the city, and increases the telescopes’ ability to catch Mars in their lenses.

For more information, visit the UCLA planetarium Web site at www.astro.ucla.edu/planetarium.