Several sky watchers, who believed that two moons would appear in the sky on 27 August, were left disappointed after it turned out that the 'twin moon' story was just a hoax.
Speculation that 'Two Moons' will appear in the sky is a decades old rumour, which surfaces every year around 27 August. And just like every year, several people believed the hoax this time as well. People even circulated photoshopped images of twin moons on social networking sites.
The rumour started in 2003 when an email, claiming that Mars will be closest to Earth on 27 August and will hence look like another moon in the sky, started circulating.
The story was declared fake by NASA and some other astronomical websites but the two moon mails continued to spread. The hoax evolved over time and even today it makes many people believe that the alleged celestial phenomenon is true.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bangalore even issued a statement this year, saying: "There'll be no such celestial wonder on August 27. It's Saturn and Mars coming adjacent to each other. It surely is a nice sight but for a layman it'll look like another star. Amateur astronomers might be able to make out the difference."
However, reports that "On 27th August 2014 there will be two moons" spread like wildfire on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms this year as well, with hashtags #Twomoons and #MarsMoon. Even photoshopped images of the moons went viral on these sites.
Several people posted on social media, saying the news is a hoax soon after it started going viral but several others believed these reports, and eventually ended up being disappointed.
Twitter reactions
"I think #TwoMoons #MarsMoon tonight is a hoax. #sadface."
"Look out for two of these on the 27th! #mars #twomoons #hoax."
"Tweeps go to bed at your regular time, there aren't #TwoMoons tonight - there isn't even one full moon. God created Google for a reason."
"I wish the two moons hoax was real"
"Suddenly a lot of people on FB posting about getting up to view "two moons" - mars & moon together & equal in size. It's a hoax folks!"
"Anyone thinking that two moons or "Mars will be as big as the Moon" is happening... you have been duped, it's utter utter rubbish!"
"Want to see two moons? A couple of bottles of vodka & several joints will do it for you. But it won't be Mars, it'll be your intoxication."
Don't look for #twomoons tonight - it's a #HOAX! The moon is in the last quarter stage and Mars appears as a star. pic.twitter.com/i5u7BAntsk
— David Paul (@MetDavidPaul) August 27, 2013
