The Truth About Comet Elenin

NASA Scientist, Dr. David Morrison, answers questions from the public about comet Elenin.

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  Education

[MorrisonDavid1]

It is time to stop taking comments on this website. Comet Elenin, which never posed any danger to anyone, broke up 15 months ago. These comments stand as testament to how irrational people are, and how trolls stir up controversy and frighten people with silly statements, such as that comets trigger earthquakes or could cause three days of darkness. It is amazing to me that anyone could believe such nonsense. My thanks to bikenbeer and ThreeFangCat who have defended the truth against such trolls.

[MorrisonDavid1]

Bikenbeer is right.The idea that celestial bodies influence all earth phenomena (or could trigger earthquakes) is called astrology, a prescientific mythology that has been disproved by modern science. If you like these ancient myths OK -- lots of people read horoscopes even today. And you are correct that if a planet or brown dwarf came into the solar system that would be bad news. But this has never happened, and such speculation is unrelated to Elenin or any other comet..

[mattyelle1]

Sun and Moon, the not only affect our ecosystem, they sustain it. They are the root cause of all activity on Earth.

[bikenbeer2000]

If you have evidence of any celestial object ever causing an earthquake, then please present it. Note that the approach of a celestial body happening at the same time as an earthquake is not sufficient. Because events A and B happen at nearly the same time is not proof that A caused B. Correlation is not causation. You will need a set of figures taken on different events over a period of time showing a statistically significant link, ie. better than pure chance. So go ahead.

[mattyelle1]

"In fact there's no way any celestial object can cause an earthquake" ...um, what does he think we are stupid? Of course celestial bodies play a part (influence) in all earth phenomenons. Clear examples are the Moon and Suns creating tidal waves every single day, on top of supporting life. If a celestial body passes close to Earth, it will influence our environment. Now whether Elenin "triggered" a earthquake or not is another story. But if a brown dwarf ever comes close to the Solar system...

[ThreeFangCat]

Who is 'they', precisely. Please cite the article reporting on this supposed brown dwarf star.

[ThreeFangCat]

So Elenin wasn't a doomsday, and 2012 wasn't a doomsday, and nobody can seem prove this 'Nibiru' exists... NASA keeps being right, doomsayers keep being wrong.

[maurice dillard]

this guy has done so many videos about 2012 its not real there will be no apocalypse there is no planet x for those who still believe that the world is ending there is no end of the world go and enjoy 2013

[calum smith]

Dec 21st is all bullshit ok its just end of mayan cycle dec 21 and starts again dec 22 just like our calander ends 31 dec can't wait for christmas

[bikenbeer2000]

So which of the doomsday predictions could take place without anyone knowing in advance? An approaching planet which we could all see? A polar reversal which would require the law of conservation of angular momentum to be broken? A planetary alignment which would require our knowledge of the law of gravity to be all wrong? How would people not know about these things?