There has been a lot of talk on the Internet about the
possibility of Planet X, a tenth planet, and in particular the
devastating effects it could have passing close to Earth. Websites
have put forward a vast amount of text arguing for and against this
scenario, much of it based on bad science.
Cheerful quote from site: "In June 2003 'Planet X' will get close
to Earth. Its magnetic force will stop the Earth rotating for
several days; it will cause huge earthquakes, volcanoes, Tsunamis
and hurricanes all over the planet. Crops will fail, millions will
stave. 90% of the planet's population will die. The force of it
passing will cause the Earth's magnetic poles to shift."
What do they claim Planet X really is?
They say Planet X is the tenth planet in our solar system. It is
not really a planet, actually a brown dwarf; a small, failed star.
They give it a size of 4x that of Earth, but a density of 20x. It
orbits our Sun and also a second star in our solar system that they
claim exists. It travels very quickly when it passes close to
either star, but slowly in between. This acceleration is caused by
gravity and is exactly the sort of thing you see with comets - ever
wondered why comets orbit our sun but only appear for a few days
every few decades?
Are there more than 9 planets in our solar system?
Planet X is the name given to the 10th in our solar system, if one
exists. For nearly a century, astronomers have been searching for
it. Now, NASA claims they have no evidence for it existing, but
admit it is possible. The Planet X scenario requires a large
planet, which we would have seen Planet X if it were anywhere near
Earth. Instead, they argue that it is normally travelling slowly, a
vast distance away.
What do you think??
