On this day - 27 August
Historical items of interest as featured in the papers of the day.
Mars comes "close" to Earth
On August 27th 2003 Mars came to around 55,758,000 kilometres/34,646,000 miles away from the Earth. This was the closest it had come since September 24th 57,617 BC and the closest it will be until 2287. This meant that Mars was visible to the naked eye and with a good telescope, the planet came into resolution clearly.
A popular email chain went around the internet, known as the ""Mars Hoax"", which meant people mistakenly believed Mars would be visible at the same size as the moon in the sky.
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