Each year, in the months of July and August, an old rumor circulate on the internet claiming that two moons will be visible in the sky on the night of August 27, 2020. The hoax spreads via social media platforms, especially through WhatsApp, a messaging platform known for the spread of false news.
A viral image is circulating on the internet depicting two big, round, and similar in size moons claiming that the event is about to take place in this month. Check whether two moons in Aug is true, false, or a hoax.
Double (Two) Moons on August 27 2020 Hoax – Mars & Moon Will Appear of Same Size
The message making rounds on the internet states, “On 27th August 2020, there will be two moon. The whole world is waiting for it. On this day Mars will be very bright and like moon everyone can see it with naked eyes. This day it will be the 34.65 million miles away from Earth. On this day do not forget to see this at 12:30 night. Because you will see two moons in the sky. This event will happen again in year 2297. Please share this with all. Because those who are living now cannot see it second time in year 2297.”
This particular message has been resurfacing the internet since 2003 when Mars was closest to the Earth. A slight modification is done to the date in the message and forwarded to people globally.
Will there be 2 moons on August 27?
The message is completely false, two moons will not appear on August 27, 2020.
EarthSky.org states, “No. Mars won’t be as big as the moon on August 27, or ever.” The website has written a detailed article describing the reasons why Mars cannot ever appear as big as soon. It talks about the elliptical paths of the planets Earth and Mars, the latter being far away from the Earth as compared to the Moon. Check the article here.
Being the closest orbiting planet to Earth, Mars will not appear as big as the moon. It will just be a bright speck in the night sky.
The social media is flooded with messages that August 27 2020 moon will be a full moon, but, in fact, the moon was fully illuminated on Aug 3rd, 2020. It would be a waxing moon Aug 27 – only 2.5% full.
The last supermoon of the year 2020 happened three months back on May 6th and 7th.
Stay tuned with TCD for more updates on new projects on Moon and Mars.
