Another mysterious package arrived on my doorstep today, one I didn’t order or expect. But I was so happy when I saw what was inside: two copies of my book Crystals for Beginners, in Russian! What a fun surprise.
My name looks weird, though.
August 14, 2007
The Mars Hoax
My sister sent me this email. I’m a little sad it’s not true.
Subject: Fw: We’re going to get “mooned” twice…..!!
Mark your calendar!
There will be two moons on 27 August*Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August.It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am midnight. It will look like the earth has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this much closer in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.
Here’s the real story from NASA:
Just when you thought it was safe to read your email….
There’s a rumor about Mars going around the internet. Here are some snippets from a widely-circulated email message:
“The Red Planet is about to be spectacular.”
“Earth is catching up with Mars [for] the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history.”
“On August 27th … Mars will look as large as the full moon.”
And finally, “NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN.”
Only the first sentence is true. The Red Planet is about to be spectacular. The rest is a hoax.
