Comet Elenin: Catastrophic Stuffs in Off Topic

ID:278486
 
Sep 18 2011, 2:31 am
I heard about comet Elenin a while back (like 1 and a half years ago I think, not sure), basically its the Nibiru/Planet X component of most modern-day end-world conspiracy theories.

But anyways, it's supposed to eclipse the Earth and align with the Earth, Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury in about 8 days, and last for 3 days (while all the while causing an earthquake).

Anyone else heard of this?
#1 Sep 18 2011, 3:30 am
Too bad the closest Comet Elenin is getting to Earth is actually further away than Venus. Given it's distance from Earth and weight, it's gravitational effect on Earth is so low that you actually have a bigger effect as you sit at your computer right now.
If you don't cause an earthquake everytime you get out of your chair, Comet Elenin is not going to do anything.

In short, this is all crazy people being crazy about nothing. When this comet comes and goes, they're going to find something else to be crazy about all while conveniently forgetting this event ever happened.
#2 Sep 18 2011, 3:37 am
I haven't, but I can pretty categorically say that's nonsense.
#3 Sep 18 2011, 4:31 am
In response to The Magic Man (#1)
I understand the distance, but you also have to take into account that it's 100x bigger than Earth and Venus.
#4 Sep 18 2011, 7:43 am
In response to Ill Im (#3)
You're joking, right?

C/2010 X1 (otherwise known as 'Elenin') has a radius of <10 km, according to the sources I've just looked at.

Earth is ~630 times larger than it. Or more. Could easily be more like 1800 times larger.
#5 Sep 18 2011, 7:44 am
In response to Ill Im (#3)
If it's 100 times bigger than Earth, then it's same size as the Sun:
Sun radius = 6.955×10^5 km
Earth Radius = 6,378.1 km
6.955×10^5 km / 6,378.1 km = 109 times

It's size would be way over comet definition.

Also we would be able to easily see it with naked eye even if it's 10 times further than the Sun is.

Elenin is just small rock that'll fly about at the same distance as distance between Venus and Earth. Nothing will happen. Even the Moon is much bigger and much closer than Elenin and it hardly has any effect.
#6 Sep 18 2011, 7:53 am
In response to Zaoshi (#5)
Hey. When 1 sphere is 2x as large as another, does that mean volume or radius?
#7 Sep 18 2011, 10:22 am
In response to Lugia319 (#6)
Depends how each person understands it...
2x larger sphere volume is hardly noticeable, compared to radius.

If we take volume, comet would be bigger than Uranus.

Still... Sun is 10000 times heavier than Uranus, and only 5 times further than Venus. Earth-Sun distance differs by 5% through the year and it doesn't cause any problems. Uranus sized planet next to Venus would have about same effect - none (except to Venus).
#8 Sep 18 2011, 12:24 pm
In response to Jp (#4)
This is all stuff I've heard from various conspiracy theories, I'm not actually standing behind all of this, but it sounded interesting.
#9 Sep 18 2011, 12:26 pm
In response to Zaoshi (#5)
Oh, I'm not thinking correctly. I was going to say the sun is 1million times bigger than the earth, but really the sun can hold 1 nukkuib earths.
#10 Sep 18 2011, 12:28 pm
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/space/ comet-elenin-close-encounter-with-earth/ I've been seeing lots of stuff like that mostly, so that's why I'm curious.