Abysmal science reporting

[Ags]

From the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/jupiter-mars-syzygy-how-to-see-together-cosmic-event-beautiful-space-stars-astronomy-a8145241.html

"Gas giant Jupiter will shine 20 times brighter in the sky on Sunday morning Getty

"The planets Jupiter and Mars will appear side-by-side in the sky on Sunday morning, in a cosmic event described as "uncommonly beautiful".

"Though the planets are more than 350 million miles apart, for a brief period they will appear as if they are orbiting the Sun close together – giving them the appearance of “very bright stars”.

"During this time, Jupiter will shine about 20 times brighter as seen from Earth."

I presume gravitational lensing by Mars will magnify Jupiter 

[Luna-tic]

Which is why astronomy club outreach programs are important; the ignorant media reads something about a "conjunction" and makes it into the Second Coming, or hears the phrase "Super Moon" and has people wowing at how big it looks just after rising. They (media) hang onto one thing until someone gives them something new to mis-report.

[Ben the Ignorant]

You still watch the media?

[tomato]

Yes, it is also very irritating how they proclaim every depression coming in from the Atlantic or some cold air sweeping down from polar latitudes is going to create “Weather Armageddon” in the UK.

[Ruud]

The 20 times  brighter is probably from Jupiter being at magnitude -1.84 and Mars at 1.43. That's a difference of 3.27

Being 3.27 magnitudes brighter the same as being 10^(0.4*3.27) = 20.3 times as bright. 

So they communicated a fact, albeit very clumsily.

[Ags]

I guessed that the underlying fact was the differential between Jupiter and Mars, but that is not what the article says! It is more like they twisted the facts to get a better headline.