Critically examining the "End of the World"
Is it true that the “galactic alignment” that is suppose to happen on 12/21/12 happens every year on that day?
The following is a question being asked on Yahoo Answers. Both the questions and answers given do not reflect the view of our website.
Question:
I read that it happens every year on the winter solstice, so why would it be any different in 2012 than it was in 2009, 2010, and 2011?
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| This entry was posted by Daniel on May 30, 2010 at 5:41 am, and is filed under Galactic Alignment Theory. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 1 year ago
No.
But we won’t really be aligning with anything in 2012 anyway!
about 1 year ago
the sun, as viewed from earth, crosses the glactic equator twice a year, every year. it never lines up exactly with the galactic center.
about 1 year ago
When astrologers speak of the planets being aligned (something which doesn’t really concern astronomers) they don’t mean that the planets will actually all lie on a straight line at some instant of time. One calculation of alignments within around thirty degrees (about as close as they can get) shows that the last such alignment was in 561 BC, and the next will be in 2854. All eight planets are somewhat aligned every 500 years, and are grouped within 30 degrees every 1 to 3 alignments.
Source(s):
curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php…
about 1 year ago
No. That alignment takes place every 26,000 years. Think of our solar system traveling through the milky-way like a sine wave.
about 1 year ago
2012.12.03. Planet Jupiter is in opposition to the Sun, relative to Earth.
6 + 6 + 6 days later:
2012.12.21
about 1 year ago
Yes it is true. The Earth crosses the imaginary plane made up of the sun and the center of the galaxy every December. The day can vary by one day depending on where we are in the four year leap year cycle.
about 1 year ago
XXX -
The answer is basically yes. Within a couple of degrees, the much touted “alignment” occurs every year at about the same time of year. This is when the position of the Sun as seen from Earth passes through a location near the galactic center (in 2012 it will be about 6 degrees off, which is by no means a real alignment, but perhaps a little closer than usual). A similar occurrence happens every June, when the Sun lines up on the opposite side. This is easier to see, since you can see the region surrounding the center of the galaxy rising in the southeast as the Sun sets in the northwest. In December, the galactic central region is, of course, flooded out by sunlight, since it is nearby. This makes it easier for the wackos to make it mysterious, since it is difficult to actually observe.
So why should it be different? It’s not different. That’s what scientists have been trying to say for the last 2 years while the conspiracy hucksters scream and cry about the end of the world. It’s so ridiculous that to anyone with even the slightest knowledge of astronomy, it’s downright laughable. I am personally gratified that you have asked the question. At least someone out there has some brains and is not afraid to use them.
about 1 year ago
Yes and no.
Do you believe having the Sun in Leo on your birthday is important? Does that control your life? If you do, they maybe you think this galactic alignment is important too. I don’t. I say nothing special will happen in 2012.
The Sun is seen approximately in the direction of the galactic center every year on that date, but it does change by about 0.014 degrees every year.
The 2012 people are claiming that in addition to the Sun bing there, that the vernal equinox will line up with the center of the galaxy that year. This is due to precession of the equinoxes, or the wobble of the Earth’s axis of rotation, which makes one complete “wobble” in 26,000 years and accounts for the 0.014 degrees I mentioned above. So, will the vernal equinox *really* line up with the galactic center in 2012? My Norton’s Star Atlas, Epoch 1950, shows the vernal equinox just about 1 degree away from the galactic equator, but still about 7 degrees north of the galactic center. 1/360 of 26,0000 years is 72 years, and from 1950 + 72 is 2022. But I suppose I could be measuring that small distance on my chart a little off and the Vernal Equinox *could* be exactly on the Galactic equator in 2012. By the way, the Galactic equator is not an exact thing like the Earth’s equator. It is an average of billions of stars and kind of a fuzzy concept anyway. Its definition can change with better star counts. In any case, the Ecliptic crosses the Galactic Equator about 7 degrees from the Galactic center. And is 0.04 degrees difference *really* important? 0.04 degrees is how far precession will move the Vernal Equinox in 3 years.