Question: 10. On August 27, 2003, the planet Mars was at a distance of 0.373 AU from Earth. The diameter of Mars is 6788 km.

10. On August 27, 2003, the planet Mars was at a distance 

10. On August 27, 2003, the planet Mars was at a distance of 0.373 AU from Earth. The diameter of Mars is 6788 km. a) Calculate the angular diameter of Mars, as seen from Earth on August 27, 2003. Give your answer in arcminutes. b) August 27, 2003 was the date that Mars approached closer to Earth than it had been in nearly 60,000 years. Leading up to that date, some people claimed that Mars would look as large as the full Moon to the naked eye. Based on your answer to part a), explain whether this claim was true or whether it was a hoax.

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To calculate the angular diameter of Mars we can use the formula Angular diameter 2 arctan 2 where d ... View full answer

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