A message has been doing rounds on WhatsApp about the occurrence of a rare celestial phenomenon- a sighting of two moons on the night of August 27, 2018. The message has been circulated in different languages in several WhatsApp groups and also over emails. But it is a hoax message stating Mars coming closer to the Earth and looking like a second moon. No need to stay up till midnight, to witness this spectacularly rare double moon event, because there is no such thing as two moons coming together.

The WhatsApp message reads, "12.30 August 27th you will see two moons in the sky, but only one will be the moon. The other will be Mars. It won't happen again until 2287. No one alive today has ever witnessed this happening." It is a fake message and do refrain from forwarding it if you have also received it. The year of 2018 has seen several celestial phenomena, the latest was the partial solar eclipse. But during such events, it is common of rumours mongers to spread fake messages like this one.

This message, in fact, has been spread since the year 2003 and the rumour mongers don't seem to get tired of it, year after year. 15 years down the line, the message still continues. Lunar Eclipse July 2018 Wow Stargazers! See Pics of July 27, Friday’s Blood Moon From Across the World. 

Take a look at the double moon fake message busted:

NASA has been trying to alert everyone about this message since years. They have also clarified that Mars was indeed closer to the earth last month. And in the year 2003, the red planet was close as 54.6 million kilometres from the Earth on August 27. Nasa had clarified that Mars will not be that close to the earth until the year 2287. The clarification was lifted and put in the viral message. NASA's warning about the hoax message clearly reads, "Don't be fooled by the Mars Hoax. The message is that Mars will look as big as the Moon in our night sky. If that were true, we'd be in big trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our Moon!" So if you have received this message, steer clear. It is fake and has been forwarded religiously for 15 years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2018 07:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).