Dubai: Nipping numerous rumours mills in the bud, UAE astronomers have rejected claims that planet Mars will come closer to earth on 27th this month and will look like a second moon.

They have been responding to several e-mails that said that Mars will be the brightest in the night sky and will look as large as a full moon to the naked eye on August 27, creating a rare opportunity to see two moons at the same time.

The Emirates Astronomical Society and the Islamic Moon Observatory Project described the theory, published by some prominent Arabic newspapers, as "bad astronomy .

Senior Official at the Emirates Astronomical Society and the Chairman of the Islamic Moon Observatory Project, Mohammed Shoukat Oudha, told UAE's official Wam news service that the rumour is triggered by the fact that Mars will become more luminous in every 780 days as it orbits between the sun and the earth.

At the same time it will never be larger than usual to the naked eye this year. "By the will of God, this may happen in year 2287 AD and Mars will appear in the sky as large as a full moon, giving mankind a feeling that the earth has two moons, one in the east and the other in the west," Oudha said.
Source : PTI