# Planet X??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267 "2002-07-03T22:44:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/1 "2002-07-03T22:44:33Z")
Today at work a co-worker told me of an email she received. It told of a Planet X that was going to pass by earth sometime next year. The email also said that the planet Earth will stop spinning for 3 days and that 70% of the earth’s population will die as a result. She is going to email the story to me but I have not yet received it yet. With the dire consequences that Planet X will bring upon the Earth, why isn’t the news media telling us about it? For 2 years we heard of the damage Y2K was going to cause and it turned out to be a non event. It doesn’t even rate very high in a Google search. Is this something we really need to worry about? ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/2 "2002-07-03T23:02:39Z")
Not in the slightest. And of course, even if it were going to happen (don’t worry, it won’t; first of all, we need a planet X, for one thing), why worry about it? It’s not like there’s much we could do… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/3 "2002-07-04T00:45:01Z")
If it makes you rest any easier, a planet passing close to Earth wouldn’t cause it to stop spinning. It would change its orbit so 100% of life either freezes or cooks or both. ---
**Author:** ![deepbluesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@deepbluesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deepbluesea)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/4 "2002-07-04T01:17:57Z")
Let me just say that the people espousing Planet X appear to be, on the surface, total nutjobs. Read, for example, the lengthy article at: [http://survivalcenter.com/LatestMarkH020102.html](http://survivalcenter.com/LatestMarkH020102.html) You’ll learn that observatories are closing for remodeling so as to avoid showing people Planet X, that our sun has a “dark twin,” whatever that means, and that “the majority of the earthchange intuitives prophecies are tied into or name Planet X.” (Please note that I cut and pasted quoted text, so all errors are the original author’s, not mine. If I mark them all with [sic], we’ll still be here long after Planet X has gone the way of the dodo.) To me, this points less towards a mysterious planet zinging towards Earth and more towards a guy who has forgotten his medication. You can make up your own mind, though. Some other Planet X sites: [Dew’s Links](http://www.geocities.com/dewerly/dewslinks.html), which offers a countdown until Nibiru’s return (apparently Planet X has a name after all). It also offers many links. Carefully peruse these links and you’ll probably feel a lot better about the impending return of Planet X. [Zecharia Sitchin’s official site](http://www.sitchin.com/). Sitchin is, according to one of the links above, “the world renowned scholar, author of “The 12th Planet” and archeologist,” who acknowledges the impending return of Planet X, but only sometimes, because he has such scientific authority that he’ll scare everyone. Given that his front page topic right now posits aliens as the intelligent designers of life on Earth, I’m not trusting this guy for in-depth analysis of anything. [Zetatalk](http://www.zetatalk.com/), which screams reliability, from the logo (one of those alien drawings) on up. The front page text is rather strange, but near as I can make out, these people not only believe in aliens but everything they’ve read in SF novels, too. ("[V]isitors from other Worlds are watched by the Council of Worlds, which has set Rules regulating their behavior." And let’s not forget “the Hybrids being developed by the Zetas to merge the best from both Zetans and Humans.”) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/5 "2002-07-04T01:19:38Z")
> [@](#): > > The email also said that the planet Earth will stop spinning for 3 days So… The Earth is going to start spinning again after three days? How? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/6 "2002-07-04T01:24:55Z")
Gosh-diddly-darnit, why do you guys get all the good spam? Planets reflect light, and unless this planet’s made out of finely-ground coal dust, we’re gonna see it coming from a really long way away. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/7 "2002-07-04T01:30:22Z")
Actually, this was well documented quite a while ago by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer, although they called the renegade planet “Bronson Alpha,” not “Planet X” or “Nibiru.” ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/8 "2002-07-04T01:35:31Z")
The only problem with Planet X is its residents. I hear they carry Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modula-tors. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/9 "2002-07-04T04:30:50Z")
Marvin wasn’t a resident of Planet X, he only went there to get Illudium Phosdex, the shaving cream atom. Hmm. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/10 "2002-07-04T05:31:46Z")
Then we shouldn’t have to worry for another three and a half centuries, right? \ ---
**Author:** ![fallom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@fallom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fallom)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/11 "2002-07-04T05:54:58Z")
Dont you guys know that planet X is the birthplace of Mecha Godzilla?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/12 "2002-07-04T07:22:22Z")
I thought it was the waterless planet of the guys who wore sunglasses and dryer tubing, and couldn’t stand loud noise… Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![Fyodor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/958977/32.png) [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/13 "2002-07-04T13:01:29Z")
An observatory was built in Arizona in the late 1800s specifically to search for an elusive “Planet X” whose existance was suspected by astronomers. I’m sure all of America heard about this expensive “search for Planet X” through the media of that time. After several decades Pluto was discovered and identified as the elusive Planet X. Unfortunately some morons, who only knew that a search was on for Planet X, didn’t get the message that it had been found. An urban legend was born and expanded on and we still have nutcases a hundred years later babbling about it. In summary, Planet X was found and named Pluto. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/14 "2002-07-04T13:06:15Z")
is it Ming the Merciless about to crash Mongo into the earth? can we expect hot hail and tidal waves as forerunners? and cool red skies? im looking forward to this “I love you, but we only have 14 hours to save the earth…” 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/15 "2002-07-04T17:28:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mjollnir \* > \*\*Actually, this was well documented quite a while ago by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer, although they called the renegade planet “Bronson Alpha,” not “Planet X” or “Nibiru.” \*\* “Well documented”, you say? The you wouldn’t mind providing a link to this documentation, would you? ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/16 "2002-07-04T17:38:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Dont you guys know that planet X is the birthplace of Mecha Godzilla?!?! I thought Planet X was where Ghiderah and the Controllers lived. –Nut _Bugs Bunny: "Uh, pardon me doc, but just what did you mean about that crack about ‘the Earth being gone?’ " Marvin: “Oh, I’m going to blow it up. It obstructs my view of Venus.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/17 "2002-07-04T17:46:08Z")
Yep. They just documented it. The astronomer who actually discovered them was Emery (sp?) Bronson. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/18 "2002-07-04T17:50:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Planets reflect light, and unless this planet’s made out of finely-ground coal dust, we’re gonna see it coming from a really long way away. And even if it _was_ made of finely-ground coal dust, **Anthracite** would be able to see it coming, so we’re safe… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/19 "2002-07-04T17:51:17Z")
[A link](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0803298145/qid=1025804709/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_3/102-5552498-6894514) to the admirable scholarly treatise to which **Mjollnir** refers. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267/20 "2002-07-04T19:22:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lodrain \* > Planets reflect light, and unless this planet’s made out of finely-ground coal dust, we’re gonna see it coming from a really long way away. In fact, we’d probably notice even it _were_ covered in finely-ground coal dust; the planet Mercury is slightly less reflective than the Moon and that’s darker than coal dust. Yet it’s visible enough. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planet-x/117267.md?page=2)