The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Saturn, Venus set to tango

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 26, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Saturn, Venus set to tango

Staff Reporter

On Sunday, the two planets will be separated by a mere 0.8 degrees, say astronomers

HYDERABAD: Stargazers, pray for a clear sky this Saturday and Sunday. For if clouds do not throw a wet blanket, you might be able to catch a glimpse of planet Saturn nudging close to Venus these two mornings.

According to observers, Saturn will be very close to Venus, this weekend. On Saturday, the two planets are expected to be just 1 degree apart with Venus higher and come Sunday, only 0.8 degrees will be separating them.

In the latter case, Saturn will be above Venus, informs Y.Ravi Kiron, Coordinator, Association of Hyderabad Amateur Astronomers.

Mars hoax is back

Meanwhile, the Mars hoax is back in circulation mainly on the Net. It began some years ago and the message was that Mars would appear in the skies as big as moon on August 27.

On August 27, 2003, Mars was 55.76 million km away and it was suggested that if one looks at it through a powerful telescope and then look at moon with naked eye, both would appear to be of same size, according to Mr.Kiron.

Mixed-up message

"However, the message got mixed-up and many assumed that Mars could be seen as big as moon even with the naked eye and then it turned out to be a hoax," he says.

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