A few days ago, I received an e-mail that breathlessly announced that we’re about to experience the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of the planet Mars looming as large in the nighttime sky as our own Moon. Never mind the fact that the Moon is much, much closer to the Earth than the fourth planet of our solar system, and common sense tells you that the nearer object will always look bigger than the farther one. Astronomer Phil Plait debunks this urban legend/spam message here. He’s pretty testy about seeing it again (this same message has circulated before), but, on the positive side, it does give him the chance to post a way-cool image of Mars and the Moon, which I’ve borrowed and am posting here for the enjoyment of my three loyal readers: