Singapore Urban Legends (Ways to spot Mars?) [Non-Singapore UL]

Ways to spot Mars?

Mars




Moon




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 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.
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 12:30a.m. 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 children and grandchildren.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN.

Singapore Urban Legends (Story Of Mars) [Non-Singapore UL]

Story of Mars From Other Countries



Mars



The Red Planet 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. At a modest 75-power magnification.

Common Characteristics of Urban Legends

Common Characteristics of Urban Legends

Accordingly, a given urban legend will typically exhibit most or all of the following characteristics:

· It is a narrative.

· It is alleged to be true.

· It is plausible enough to be believed.

· Its veracity is unproven.

· It is of spontaneous (or, at any rate, indeterminate) origin.

· It varies in the telling.

· It is likely to take the form of a cautionary tale.

· It is attributed to putatively trustworthy secondhand sources

(e.g., "a friend of a friend," "my sister's accountant," etc.).

· It is transmitted from individual to individual, either orally or in written form (e.g., via

fax, photocopy or email).

Singapore Urban Legends Question & Answer

Question 1: What is an Urban Legend?


Answers :

1) An urban legend is an apocryphal, secondhand story told as true and plausible enough to be believed, about some horrific, embarrassing, ironic or exasperating series of events that has supposedly happened to a real person. It is likely to be framed as a cautionary tale.
Factual or not, an urban legend is meant to be believed. In lieu of evidence, the teller of an urban legend is apt to rely on skillful storytelling and reference to putatively trustworthy sources -- e.g., "it really happened to my hairdresser's brother's best friend" -- to convince listeners of its veracity.


2) An apocryphal story involving incidents of the recent past, often including elements of humor and horror, that spreads quickly and is popularly believed to be true.

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Question 2 : How To Spot an Urban Legend?


Answers :

1. Consider the form of the information passed along to you. Is it a narrative — a story with a beginning, middle and end? Does it feature a surprising twist and/or end with a 'punch line' reminiscent of a joke? If so, it may be an urban legend.

2. Urban legends usually toe a fine line between outlandishness and plausibility. Does the story seem a little suspect, yet believable? Was it told to you AS IF it's true? Often the teller of an urban legend will even begin with the statement, 'This is a true story...'

3. Look for statements like 'This really happened to a friend of a friend' (or 'I heard this from the wife of a co-worker,' or 'You won't believe what happened to my brother's housekeeper's son,' etc.).

4. Have you heard the same story more than once from different sources, possibly even with different names and details? If you've heard more than one version, it's probably an urban legend.

5. Consider whether there's evidence to suggest the story you've heard is false, and/or there are commonsense reasons to disbelieve it.

6. Does the story seem too good to be true; too horrible, or too funny to be true? If so, there's a good chance it's an urban legend and NOT true.

7. Check books and Websites about urban legends to see if the story is listed there (see resources below).

8. Research any factual claims in the story to see if there is published evidence to support them. The burden of proof is on the teller of the tale.