Mars from the Hubble Space Telescope (Photo: NASA and ESA)

Imagine looking out your window on a late August night and seeing the planet Mars hovering in the sky as large as the nearly full moon. It would be an amazing sight!

A recent e-mail forwarded to me from a work colleague promised just that: On the night of Aug. 27, it said, Mars will be at its brightest and “it will look like the earth has 2 moons.”

The next time Mars comes this close, it added, will be in the year 2287. “Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.”

Sounds impressive. The only problem? It’s not true.

It seems this myth started in 2003 when Mars reached a point called opposition, when it is closest to the Earth and appears larger and brighter than any other time of the year.

Opposition this year, however, happened last January. And, in any case, a bigger and brighter Mars doesn’t mean the planet appears Moon-size (although it did appear bigger and brighter in 2003 than it will until 2287)

The editors at Astronomy magazine summed it up nicely when they recently addressed the myth: “For Mars to look that large, it somehow would have to jump out of its orbit and move some 34 million miles (55 million kilometers) closer to the Sun.”

The magazine also did a great job explaining how the myth began.

Even though Mars won’t look gigantic in the night sky, it’s still pretty fun to see, whether you’re viewing it through a telescope, binoculars or with your naked eye. Look for it in the evening sky in the west.

Summer is a good time for picnics — opening a basket of snacks, stretching out on a blanket and staring up at a beautiful blue sky.

But have you ever considered having a picnic at night, say around midnight or 1 a.m., when the night sky is studded with the light of countless stars?

If that sounds intriguing, you should head to an open, grassy area late tonight (Aug. 12) or in the predawn hours on Friday, and get ready for a special light show. If the sky is clear, you’ll see not only stars and planets, but also one of the best meteor showers of the year — the Perseids.

Last year at this time, as part of the International Year of Astronomy, I wrote an editorial in The Catholic Spirit encouraging people to view this annual August display of “shooting stars” — actually small bits of rock and dust that stream brightly through the earth’s atmosphere.

This debris is associated with comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years. As the small pieces crash toward earth, they burn up and create streaks of light across the sky. They appear to originate in the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast.

Last year, from my home in suburban St. Paul, I was able to see a meteor every minute or two. This year, the experts predict the shower will reach a peak of about 80 meteors per hour. The moon will set before the best part of the show kicks in, so viewing conditions should be excellent, if the weather cooperates.

The Perseids are sure to elicit oohs and aahs, especially from children and adults who’ve never seen or paid much attention to such celestial events. And, what kid doesn’t appreciate the opportunity to stay up late to see something cool?

Parents: Don’t overlook the opportunity to use this as a segue into a discussion about the awesomeness of the universe that God created and our place in it. If you’re looking for some Scripture passages to start the discussion, try these: Genesis 1:16-19, Psalm 148:1-6 and Psalm 8:1, 3-5.

If you want to learn more about the Perseids, you can join an online chat with astronomer Bill Cooke from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center today (Aug. 12) from 2-3 p.m. central time. He’ll answer questions about the meteor shower and the best ways to view it.

You can also visit the Hayden Planetarium’s website for additional observing tips.

So, pack a snack and a comfortable chair or blanket and head outside tonight for an awesome, heavenly light show.

A Hubble Space Telescope image of Sirius A and its very tiny companion, Sirius B. (Photo: NASA, ESA)

The dog days of summer are definitely in full force here in Minnesota, with temperatures in the 90s expected for most of this week.

We associate the phrase “dog days” with the hottest part of the summer — days marked by pool parties, parish festivals and lazy, leisurely weekends.

But did you ever wonder where the phrase “dog days” originated?

It’s connected to the star Sirius — located in the constellation Canis Major (the “Big Dog”) and nicknamed the Dog Star.

Sirius is normally the brightest star in the night sky. But in July to about mid-August, it rises with the sun. The ancients believed (wrongly, of course) that the extra heat generated by this bright star added to the sun’s output, leading to hotter summer days.

So if anyone complains to you about the heat this week, tell them to blame it on the dog.

Taking a look at the sun at the Joseph J. Casby Memorial Observatory. (Photo by Dianne Towalski)

As my 11-year-old son peered into the eyepiece of a new 10-inch refracting telescope recently installed in Afton, Minn., he could hardly contain his excitement. “Wow, cool!” he said looking back at me before taking another peek.

What he saw on this Saturday afternoon was the sun — its large disk dotted with three sets of sunspots — cooler areas about the size of the earth on the sun’s huge surface that you wouldn’t be able to see without the aid of a telescope and a special filter making it safe to view.

I took my turn, and then we went to the back of the line so we could wait for another peek. I can only imagine how brilliant the night sky — the moon, planets and some deeper sky objects — will look through the eyepiece.

This is one of the things I love about science: Like faith, it can elicit awe and wonder. It reminds you about the beauty, complexity and vastness of God’s creation.

We were visiting Aug. 7 during an open house unveiling the Joseph J. Casby Memorial Observatory to the public. Housed inside its own viewing dome, the $70,000 addition is one of the best amateur scopes you’re likely to see.

The telescope recently received some good press in both the Minneapolis and St. Paul daily newspapers. The observatory is a joint project of the Minnesota Astronomical Society and the Belwin Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the local St. Croix Valley.

A Belwin education center, located near the observatory, is already used by some public school students, and there are reportedly plans to equip the classroom with the ability to show images from the telescope on large screens — not a bad option when Minnesota’s weather turns bitter cold.

According to the Minnesota Astronomical Society website, access to the observatory site is typically limited to MAS members and their guests. But, for anyone interested in stargazing opportunities or learning more about astronomy, MAS operates four other observing sites around the Twin Cities that often host public events. Check the MAS website for more info about the group’s “star parties.”