- I am fascintated with disasters, catastrophes, and cataclysms
just as much as anyone, but not because of the destruction they bring,
but because of the explanatory power of these natural erasers.
-
- What happened to the dinosaurs? the wooley mammoths?
Atlantis?
-
- Natural disasters can wipe things out.
-
- However, there are those who do not like the world (who
is to blame them?) and imagine coming disasters like huge earthquakes that
will change the configuration of our continent. There is no doubt that
a potential exists for disasters and that even periodic ones may occur
because our motion through the universe is periodic and cyclic.
-
- The Planet X scenario is trumpted by mainly only two
people - Nancy Lieder who says she is in contact with aliens from Zeta
Reticuli, and Mark Hazelwood who wrote "Blindsided, Planet X Passes
in 2003, EARTH CHANGES!"
-
- Now astronomer Dr. Philip Plait has put the matter to
rest speaking to George Noory on the Art Bell show last night. He has roughly
calculated the position of the hypothetical Planet X according to orbital
mechanics and places it somewhere near Jupiter's orbit with a brightness
that would outshine brilliant Venus which can now be seen in western skies
in the early evening. You would not even need a telescope to see Planet
X as it would be shining brightly for all to see and perturbing the orbits
of our major planets.
-
- Dr. Plait goes on to say, "Doomsayers seem to pop
up every few years. Last time, it was the alignment of the planets that
somehow managed not to destroy the Earth in May 2000. Now, we have Planet
X. A few people are claiming that a heretofore unknown planet in our solar
system is on a very long, elliptical orbit. In May 2003, it will pass close
enough to the Earth to affect it in some way, causing it to flip over (what
many call a "pole shift") and spur many other huge disasters.
The end result will be the deaths of many billions of people. There are
a large number of web pages, chat rooms and books about Planet X and its
horrible affects on the Earth. So the question is, does this planet exist,
and will it come by in May 2003 and cause all this horror? No, and no.
-
- As much as I know anything in science, I know that there
is no Planet X as described by this latest crop of Chicken Littles. How
do I know this? Well, we'll have to look a little bit at the claims of
the people doing the doomsaying, and why what they say is patently false.
Along the way, I'll be talking about gravity, orbits, brown dwarfs, and
why speculation is a great way to enflame emotions, but a terrible way
to get the truth."
-
- For further analysis of these claims, please visit: http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/planetx/index.html
-
- The predicted disaster for 2012 is non-specific and is
based on an interpretation of the Mayan codex and astronomical periodicities
which may add a little more weight but is far from a certain thing. In
fact, it is really all speculation which is OK as long as we speculate
with facts.
-
- Sincerely,
-
-
- Bill Hamilton
- Executive Director
- Skywatch International, Inc.
- http://www.skywatch-research.org
- Fiat Lux et Veritas
-
-
- UPDATE
- From Bill Hamilton
skywatcher22@hotmail.com
7-24-2
-
- Thank you, skywatchers, for your rational responses to
my postings on Planet X.
-
- This posting made it to Jeff Rense's website "Rense.com"
and stimulated some very emotive responses. In effect I was told that
the Bible predicts this and that I will go to hell for attacking the two
people who are saving the world with their words of warning about this
menace from outer space.
-
- I was also told I was wrong because physicist James McCanney
proved there is a Planet X heading our way.
-
- Quote: "James M. McCanney was on the faculty of
the Physics and Mathematics departments of Cornell University, Ithaca,
N.Y. His work was in theoretical Celestial Mechanics and Plasma Physics
(for the layman, these are the studies of planetary motion and electrified
gases in outer space). Having presented his theories at the Los Alamos
National Laboratories and American Geophysical Union, James McCanney, author
of Planet X: Comets and Earth Changes, joins us now to discuss his knowledge
concerning science, history, space, and Planet X."
-
- One asked me where I had come up for the calculations
that Planet X was near Jupiter's orbit. I did not calculate this. It
was a rough calculation done by astronomer Dr. Plait. A planet coming
from the outside solar system will reflect the sun's light to a degree
depending on its mass, albedo, and distance. The reflected light and gravitational
perturbation are two ways such a planet would signal its presence. The
comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was easily detected beyond the orbit of Jupiter
and it was smaller than the hypothetical Planet X.
-
- Once it was believed that a tenth planet existed beyond
the orbit of Pluto because of slight deviations of the orbits of Neptune
and Uranus based on a close estimate of their masses. After thee Voyager
flyby measurments indicated corrections to their masses and the need for
a tenth planet was obviated as their orbits were correct for the corrected
mass measurements. This does not mean a tenth planet or Planet X does not
exist way out beyond the orbit of Pluto. Small planetoids the size of
Charon, Pluto's satellite, have been detected in the Kuiper belt and their
are numerous comets of all size ranges lurking out in the perimeter of
the solar system.
-
- I do not know if MCanney is an advocate for the 2003
flyby, but even scientists can be wrong. There is no indication that McCanney
believes it will flyby earth in 2003.
-
- Jason Martell believes Planet X exists but does not forecast
a 2003 date for its journey to earth. He is researching the Zitchen story
of Nibiru. Zitchen has also spoken out against a 2003 prediction for the
return of Nibiru.
-
- There is no doubt that no matter what I state as an opinion
or whether evidence supports or invalidates the passage of Planet X, religious
convictions will prevail over science. If you don't believe me, then just
surf the web for sites that denounce scientific findings.
-
- The last word I guess is when we are still sending email
in 2004.
-
- Thanks,
-
- Bill Hamilton
- Executive Director
- Skywatch International, Inc.
- Website:
- http://www.skywatch-research.org
- Fiat Lux et Veritas
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