letter as sent to Discover mag
Discover's November Skylights article 'Bad News on the Internet' is filled with so much irony I could stick a magnet to it. The article calls attention to the unreliability of the internet, warning of its penchant for hoaxes and myths.
I was recently asked by a friend to corroborate a Mars tidbit she had heard: that this month, Mars was going to appear as big as the full Moon! (I set her straight.)
Where did she get such information? Well, it could have been the internet, bastion of fibs and tall stories. Or more amusingly, the information could have been from the very Discover article warning us about Mars misinformation!
I quote from this very 'Bad News on the Internet' article:
"...makes Mars look as large as the Full Moon to the naked eye."
Really? Mars - as big as the Full Moon?
Now, granted, if you read it in context, you can see that the statement is not actually incorrect:
"A magnification of only 100 - well within the range of even inexpensive scopes - makes Mars look as large as the Full Moon to the naked eye."
but you have to read carefully (such as you might if you did a double-take because knew that the claim was preposterous). I could not fault anyone for misunderstanding it.
So as to make this letter constructive, rather than merely critical, I offer the following rewrite:
"...makes Mars, as seen through the eyepiece, appear as large as the Full Moon does to our naked eye."
Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Dave Collins