Can anyone verify this claim??

I got this email forwarded to me. Can anyone verify this please. Looks like the original mail came from a company in Singapore.

DON'T MISS IT!!!!!

Attention: Science Teachers


Since this event can be viewed with naked eyes, no need for binoculars
or telescope, look out for it in August, especially after our National
Day fireworks.

Mars is going to be a second moon of earth for a day.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

The Red Planet (MARS) is about to be spectacular! This month and next,
Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in
the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The
next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's
gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be
certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000
years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.
The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within
34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest
object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will
appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. By August 27, Mars will look as large as
the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the
beginning of August it will rise in the! east at 10 pm and reach its
azimuth at about 3 am by the end of August when the two planets are
closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the
sky at 12.30 am. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human
being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the
beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter
throughout the month.

Share this with your colleagues, family, friends, children and
grandchildren.

Happy National Day !!!

________________________________

KBE Scientific International - Educational Products for Science &
Technology

www.kbescientific.com.sg

It *WAS* true -- two years ago:
www.hoax-slayer.com...

Hubble got some great pictures, too!
www.space.com...

Email the person back and explain to them that it's old news and at this point it's become a hoax.

Mars is close again in October, though not as close as it was back then. "Close" is a relative term -- the orbits aren't perfect circles and every two years or so there's a period where the planets are closer to each other than they were at other points of their orbit. Mars is still, however, just a bright dot in the sky. You won't be able to see more than that without a telescope.

This year, the "closest" period falls in October, by the way. If you're out there staring at it in August... actually, you won't see much difference. But technically it's in October.
www.hoax-slayer.com...

[edit on 12-8-2005 by Byrd]

Don't feel bad Hellfire3, I received this email about 2 months ago also. Not sure why it is still in circulation. Wish I would have known when the email was actually valid. Would have been a sight to see.

Thanks Byrd. My instincts told me as much. This would have been such a major event that it would have been blasted all over the media, yet I haven't seen a word about it.