# So what's the deal with the "Galactic Alignment"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399 "2012-05-29T00:04:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/101 "2012-05-30T22:42:29Z")
> [@garbonzo607](#): > > I don’t believe this is true. If it were so simple every civilization known to man would be as good astronomers as the Mayans. > > The Mayans are set out as the best astronomers of their times. > [@](#): > > Maybe you should consider how the ancients knew this without the technology we have today. I believe the Mayans did also. According to [Neil DeGrasse Tyson,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HghEBxHvgg) (who dislikes being given credit), the Mayans believed the earth was flat, rested on the back of an alligator in a lily pond, and was supported by 5 trees of different colors. That’s pretty much the best of the times, you bet. > [@](#): > > I have not seen much refutation against the Ancient Alien theory is the problem…But if it’s fake, why aren’t there more websites saying how fake it is with evidence that it is fake? Comprehensive. And not just a few issues made by a TV show, but the whole evidence all together? Science is not done by counting how many websites there are claiming the impossible. And the whole evidence isn’t good evidence just because there is a lot of it out there. Multiplying bad evidence by 100 doesn’t improve the quality in the slightest. No matter how many websites claim bigfoot exists, until solid evidence arrives, it’s just so much fantasy. > [@](#): > > There are professionals it seems on BOTH SIDES of this fence! That’s a common misconception. Professionals in the scientific world are not divided on the basic concepts of astronomy or evolution, and are amused by the presumptions of non-scientists, as I am about yours. I’ve seen it all before, Dude, and it’s pretty lame. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/102 "2012-05-30T22:44:58Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Sigh. > > 1. The round earth was established 2000 years before Columbus. > 2. Columbus was not English. > > (also The London Underground is not a political movement) > > Thank you for playing, but if you’re not interested in facts, I’m not interested in discussing this with you. Good day. Are you kidding me? You point out 1 small error and then you claim I’m not interested in facts? How naive can you be? I meant to say “world” technologies, not “English” it’s an obvious mistake. I never even mentioned Columbus or the Underground London or whatever, what are you even talking about? I am seriously confused. This is similar to someone pointing out a small grammatical mistake and saying their whole argument is invalid because of it and “they are not interested in the facts”. How can you not see this yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/103 "2012-05-30T22:56:18Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > According to [Neil DeGrasse Tyson,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HghEBxHvgg) (who dislikes being given credit), the Mayans believed the earth was flat, rested on the back of an alligator in a lily pond, and was supported by 5 trees of different colors. Psst - post 93. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/104 "2012-05-30T23:27:29Z")
> [@garbonzo607](#): > > You are strawmanning. I never said the evidences weren’t valid! I said they are circumstantial evidence, just like fossils they seem to evolve are circumstantial evidences to Evolution. This is why Evolution is still a theory and not a law if I’m not mistaken. (I’m not a professional scientist here) There may be something that comes a long later that fits the bill but right not Evolution seems valid, and in my eyes, so does the Ancient Alien theory. Hooboy. Okay. Fossils are not “circumstantial” evidence in any sense of the word. Evolution is indeed a theory, but “theory” is not some intermediary step on the way to “law.” A theory is an explanation for an observed or postulated phenomenon that has not, to date, been shown to have any flaws. A theory represents the highest level of scientific certainty - see, also, the [theory of gravity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_gravity), [atomic theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory), or [germ theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease). The fossil record represents extremely strong proof of the correctness of evolutionary theory, although it’s hardly alone - there are very few theories in science that are more strongly supported by the evidence than evolution. If evolution were proven to be incorrect, it would call into question our fundamental assumptions in virtually every other branch of science. > [@](#): > > You yourself admit some things are unexplained. Why can’t you leave it that the theory is possible instead of writing it off and saying it is “discredited”? If it is really discredited, I would want to see the research paper that looks into a lot of things the theory brings up and really does discredit them. Otherwise these unexplained things can easily be Aliens. Of course we don’t know for sure. I never claimed to have known for sure. > > This is why I say 99%, this is why Evolution is a 99%. The problem here is that there aren’t any “unexplained” things that need Ancient Astronauts to explain them. The Mayans were surprisingly skilled astronomers, given their level of technological sophistication, but nothing they discovered was impossible given what we know about their society. You can make some pretty advanced deductions about astronomy with a good set of eyes, some clear skies, and a bit of math. > [@](#): > > I don’t believe this is true. If it were so simple every civilization known to man would be as good astronomers as the Mayans. > > The Mayans are set out as the best astronomers of their times. To my knowledge, the only people setting the Mayans forward as the best astronomers of their time are the people trying to pimp the Mayan apocalyptic theories. > [@](#): > > The Greeks may have done that, but they couldn’t pass that information on to the Mayans. They Mayans did it on their own, so it’s irrelevant to say they did it thousand of years before. They had no contact with each other, so time is irrelevant. The lack of contact between the two cultures is, in fact, what makes the point relevant. If multiple cultures can come up with the same correct observations about the universe independently, that indicates that the observations are not particularly difficult to figure out. If the Greeks could do it without aliens, then there’s no need to hypothesize aliens when talking about the Mayans. > [@](#): > > A case can be made that it is simple to calculate the circumference of the Earth if even the Greeks, knew, though. But the Greeks were not as good as the Mayans, that is for sure. What’s your basis for this assertion? > [@](#): > > European thought was inherited from the Greeks. From around 600 or 400 BC the theory of geocentrism (sun revolves around earth) competed with the theory of heliocentrism (earth revolves around the sun). The Catholic church, dominator of European religion, chose the geocentric view and killed anyone who dared to argue with them. By the 1500s there was enough dissent about the Catholics and the Pope that people could refute their claims and generally live and so we had the Copernican Revolution and the beginning of modern scientific exploration. This is also not a very accurate description of the heliocentric debate during the Renaissance. > [@](#): > > I believe that they did know the Earth went around the sun as did many ancients who were given information from the “Gods”. > > Read these texts: What do quotes from Indian texts prove about what the Mayans did or did not know? > [@garbonzo607](#): > > I put my faith elsewhere because all the evidence I have seen leads me to this conclusion. Why do you put your faith in Big Bang/Evolution vs. Creationism/ID? Because the people studying evolution are able to make testable predictions about their field, which are later proven to be accurate. > [@](#): > > Why did Isaac Newton put his faith in his own theories instead of those popular at the time? Because he was able to make testable predictions about his field, which he was able to prove to be accurate. > [@](#): > > I have not seen much refutation against the Ancient Alien theory is the problem. If someone wants to provide it, I’d love to look at it and see if the counters are conclusive or valid. Maybe if the things I research are fake. I can understand that. I am putting my trust in an authority, I understand that. If they are fake so be it. It’s fake. It’s all fake, it’s all wrong. But if it’s fake, why aren’t there more websites saying how fake it is with evidence that it is fake? Comprehensive. And not just a few issues made by a TV show, but the whole evidence all together? The main problem is that there’s virtually no evidence for your theory that we _can_ debunk. You’ve got two things going for you: “Math is hard,” and “These guys are wearing hats that kinda-sorta look like space helmets, if you squint right.” What is there to debunk, there? > [@](#): > > There are professionals it seems on BOTH SIDES of this fence! There really aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/105 "2012-05-30T23:27:52Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Psst - post 93. Ah, yes, but you left out the 5 trees of different colors. The alligator is obvious, likewise the lily pond, but the Maya were so far ahead of everyone else that they peeked over the edge to find the middle, 5th tree. How else could they have seen it? The mind boggles at the wisdom of the ancients. My mother, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/106 "2012-05-30T23:30:01Z")
Suppose yourself to be an ancient astronaut. Your ship has just discovered this planet. You’ve met a few of the locals, and you want to advance their astronomical knowledge. The most obvious technology to give them would be the telescope. [They have mirrors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_in_Mesoamerican_culture#Mirrors_in_the_Maya_region), so why not teach them to make a [Newtonian telescope](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtonian_telescope)? The printing press would be another good choice of technologies to give them. One problem with ancient civilizations is, they don’t have the printing press, so books remain rare. That means fewer people can come across whatever ideas you are trying to advance. It also means there’s a better chance of your ideas being lost to history. Say someone were to decide to [destroy all the books](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_codices). Without the printing press, they have a decent shot at doing this. With the printing press, books can be so cheap that there are just too many books containing one particular idea to destroy them all. Imagine trying to destroy all the textbooks after you had conquered the modern US. You would literally have to search house to house (I’m not the only one who still has boxes of old college textbooks, am I?). But why would you give your help and advice to only one civilization on the planet you’ve just discovered? Why wouldn’t you also visit the Romans and the Chinese, and give them your astronomical knowledge, too? The Chinese have astronomers, too. You’ve just discovered this planet, you probably don’t have much reason to favor one civilization over another. If you can travel here from another star system, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting between Mexico and China. The more people you give your knowledge to, the less chance it has of being lost to history. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/107 "2012-05-31T00:07:39Z")
> [@garbonzo607](#): > > Are you kidding me? You point out 1 small error and then you claim I’m not interested in facts? How naive can you be? I meant to say “world” technologies, not “English” it’s an obvious mistake. I never even mentioned Columbus or the Underground London or whatever, what are you even talking about? I am seriously confused. > > This is similar to someone pointing out a small grammatical mistake and saying their whole argument is invalid because of it and “they are not interested in the facts”. > > How can you not see this yourself? You connected that the fact that the Earth is round, a fact that was established in 500 BC, to the discovery of America some 2000 years later. This is a major blunder, not a small grammatical error. How can you not see that yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/108 "2012-05-31T00:50:08Z")
> [@garbonzo607](#): > > I don’t believe this is true. If it were so simple every civilization known to man would be as good astronomers as the Mayans. > > The Mayans are set out as the best astronomers of their times. Let me ask you something. Have you ever done astronomy before? Astronomy without a telescope is actually really simple. It just takes diligence and careful note taking. What, exactly, did the Mayans do that no other culture at the time did? What specific discoveries did they make that were ahead of their time? > [@](#): > > Maybe you should consider how the ancients knew this without the technology we have today. I believe the Mayans did also. > > I’m not sure why you make statements without backing them up. I’ve done some preliminary research on astronomy in the Rigveda, and have found nothing other than mention of eclipses and attempts to date the manuscript using star positions listed in it. If the manuscript did indeed claim all those things you said it did, that would be quite remarkable. Do you have a cite for all that? One of those “quotes” is a little confusing, being that it mentions 9 planets but fails to mention the Kuiper Belt. I guess these ancient aliens were fond of Pluto too, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/109 "2012-05-31T01:42:36Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Suppose yourself to be an ancient astronaut. Your ship has just discovered this planet. You’ve met a few of the locals … > > The printing press would be another good choice of technologies to give them. Also, gunpowder. The pre-Columbian Mesoamericans could sure use some gunpowder. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/110 "2012-05-31T04:00:33Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Also, gunpowder. > > The pre-Columbian Mesoamericans could sure use some gunpowder. They could use iron and steel working, too. I really doubt that interstellar ships would be made exclusively of copper, silver, gold, and stone, so the aliens presumably would have metallurgical knowledge that the Mayans didn’t. Even if the aliens didn’t have such knowledge, it should be pretty simple for them to abduct some people from Europe, Asia, or Africa who did. > [@Yumblie](#): > > One of those “quotes” is a little confusing, being that it mentions 9 planets but fails to mention the Kuiper Belt. I guess these ancient aliens were fond of Pluto too, huh? Remember, some ancient civilizations classified the sun and moon as planets. Indian astronomers were also aware of the moon’s nodes (the points where the orbit of the moon crosses the ecliptic, significant because they are where eclipses can happen), and counted them as planets, too. They called them Rahu and Ketu. They wouldn’t have counted the earth as a planet. Just because they came up with the same total of planets that modern astronomers did for much of the 20th century doesn’t necessarily mean they were counting the same things. There are two cats and two humans in my household, but that doesn’t mean that cats and humans are the same thing (the cats would be quite insulted by anyone not acknowledging their superiority like that). ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/111 "2012-05-31T04:01:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > According to [Neil DeGrasse Tyson,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HghEBxHvgg) (who dislikes being given credit), the Mayans believed the earth was flat, rested on the back of an alligator in a lily pond, and was supported by 5 trees of different colors. That’s pretty much the best of the times, you bet. Okay, maybe they did _at one time_. We don’t know if this was always at the centerfold of their culture. It may have been lost in time and antiquity and the culture could have forgotten it. If you want to talk about DeGrasse, here is DeGrasse on Aliens: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9RExQFZzHXQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Poetry of Science: Richard Dawkins and Neil deGrasse Tyson") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RExQFZzHXQ) So if you want to appeal to our most famous and smart scientists, there you have it. As I’ve said before Dr. Michio Kaku believes there may be some truth to Alien UFOs. Look it up, or I can look it up for you maybe. > [@](#): > > Science is not done by counting how many websites there are claiming the impossible. And the whole evidence isn’t good evidence just because there is a lot of it out there. Multiplying bad evidence by 100 doesn’t improve the quality in the slightest. > > No matter how many websites claim bigfoot exists, until solid evidence arrives, it’s just so much fantasy.That’s a common misconception. Professionals in the scientific world are not divided on the basic concepts of astronomy or evolution, and are amused by the presumptions of non-scientists, as I am about yours. I’ve seen it all before, Dude, and it’s pretty lame. Of course I am not appealing to numbers as my argument! I am saying there is good evidence for this theory, but it is circumstantial evidence, like a lot of other evidence. To me, circumstantial just means it’s not 100% solid proof, but it explains which is unexplained. I never said the professionals in science are divided on evolution, etc. I said there are divided on THIS theory. Not divided in half of course, and not even close to a quarter, but there are still respected professionals that do believe this. If not this, even Dr. Michio Kaku somewhat believes in Alien UFOs, which I keep saying. IF you want to appeal to authority. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/112 "2012-05-31T04:08:04Z")
> [@garbonzo607](#): > > Okay, maybe they did _at one time_. We don’t know if this was always at the centerfold of their culture. It may have been lost in time and antiquity and the culture could have forgotten it. > > If you want to talk about DeGrasse, here is DeGrasse on Aliens: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RExQFZzHXQ#t=29m42s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RExQFZzHXQ#t=29m42s) There is a **huuuuuge** difference between believing that there is life on other planets, and believing that life on other planets has ever been to _this_ planet. Tyson believes in the former, but I’ll eat my hat if he believes in the latter. > [@](#): > > Of course I am not appealing to numbers as my argument! I am saying there is good evidence for this theory, but it is circumstantial evidence, like a lot of other evidence. To me, circumstantial just means it’s not 100% solid proof, but it explains which is unexplained. That’s not what the word “circumstantial” means to anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/113 "2012-05-31T04:22:51Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Hooboy. Okay. > > Fossils are not “circumstantial” evidence in any sense of the word. Evolution is indeed a theory, but “theory” is not some intermediary step on the way to “law.” A theory is an explanation for an observed or postulated phenomenon that has not, to date, been shown to have any flaws. A theory represents the highest level of scientific certainty - see, also, the [theory of gravity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_gravity), [atomic theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory), or [germ theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease). The fossil record represents extremely strong proof of the correctness of evolutionary theory, although it’s hardly alone - there are very few theories in science that are more strongly supported by the evidence than evolution. If evolution were proven to be incorrect, it would call into question our fundamental assumptions in virtually every other branch of science. [I see you like Wikipedia links.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pessimistic_induction) > [@Miller](#): > > The problem here is that there aren’t any “unexplained” things that need Ancient Astronauts to explain them. The Mayans were surprisingly skilled astronomers, given their level of technological sophistication, but nothing they discovered was impossible given what we know about their society. You can make some pretty advanced deductions about astronomy with a good set of eyes, some clear skies, and a bit of math. You show ignorance of the Ancient Alien/Astronaut theory. I cannot trust you know anything about it with this remark, so please educate yourself on everything there is to know about the theory and then come back to me and counter those points before implying that all there is to the theory are the Mayans. > [@Miller](#): > > To my knowledge, the only people setting the Mayans forward as the best astronomers of their time are the people trying to pimp the Mayan apocalyptic theories. Well who was better than? I didn’t know this, so please educate me on my misinformation. =( > [@Miller](#): > > The lack of contact between the two cultures is, in fact, what makes the point relevant. If multiple cultures can come up with the same correct observations about the universe independently, that indicates that the observations are not particularly difficult to figure out. If the Greeks could do it without aliens, then there’s no need to hypothesize aliens when talking about the Mayans. Well I was basing this on the above quote, so if you can show me what civilization had better astronomical observations and a better calender than the Mayans at the time, then show me, and I’ll retract. The Mayans are not the only evidence supporting the theory, of course. Those ancient texts show that the Ancient Indians (?) knew the Earth revolved around the sun, and other observations that is peculiar for their time. Also explain Pumapunku? > [@Miller](#): > > What’s your basis for this assertion? The same as above. > [@Miller](#): > > This is also not a very accurate description of the heliocentric debate during the Renaissance. Funny. I got it from the Wikipedia website you so much like to quote. Maybe I was trying to prove something? > [@Miller](#): > > What do quotes from Indian texts prove about what the Mayans did or did not know? The theory is that “Gods” aka ETs gave it to them. > [@Miller](#): > > Because the people studying evolution are able to make testable predictions about their field, which are later proven to be accurate. How can you test anything but micro-evolution? Do you have a time accelerator? > [@Miller](#): > > Because he was able to make testable predictions about his field, which he was able to prove to be accurate. Noted. As per above, some theories cannot be tested. > [@Miller](#): > > The main problem is that there’s virtually no evidence for your theory that we _can_ debunk. You’ve got two things going for you: “Math is hard,” and “These guys are wearing hats that kinda-sorta look like space helmets, if you squint right.” What is there to debunk, there? > > There really aren’t. Again, as per above, you just need to educate yourself more on the theory. Watch some documentaries, and although I do not like to say Ancient Aliens, as it is made a mockery of because of all the speculation and sensationalism, there are some good points made in the series. Just debunk those. You can be the first. What the fuck other hat looks like THAT? LOL Especially in Mayan environment. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/114 "2012-05-31T04:28:25Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > There is a **huuuuuge** difference between believing that there is life on other planets, and believing that life on other planets has ever been to _this_ planet. Tyson believes in the former, but I’ll eat my hat if he believes in the latter. There is not a huge difference. And I’ll eat my hat even he says definitively 100% that there _hasn’t_ been life on other planets has ever been to this planet like you seem to be saying. How the fuck would you know for sure? Are you God? > [@](#): > > That’s not what the word “circumstantial” means to anyone else. I’m not sure what the word for it is. In a court case circumstantial evidence can be anything that isn’t 100% solid evidence. Like if a picture taken somewhat looks like the suspect, but can’t be proven to be true. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/115 "2012-05-31T04:34:30Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Suppose yourself to be an ancient astronaut. Your ship has just discovered this planet. You’ve met a few of the locals, and you want to advance their astronomical knowledge. > > The most obvious technology to give them would be the telescope. [They have mirrors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_in_Mesoamerican_culture#Mirrors_in_the_Maya_region), so why not teach them to make a [Newtonian telescope](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtonian_telescope)? > > The printing press would be another good choice of technologies to give them. One problem with ancient civilizations is, they don’t have the printing press, so books remain rare. That means fewer people can come across whatever ideas you are trying to advance. It also means there’s a better chance of your ideas being lost to history. Say someone were to decide to [destroy all the books](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_codices). Without the printing press, they have a decent shot at doing this. With the printing press, books can be so cheap that there are just too many books containing one particular idea to destroy them all. Imagine trying to destroy all the textbooks after you had conquered the modern US. You would literally have to search house to house (I’m not the only one who still has boxes of old college textbooks, am I?). > > But why would you give your help and advice to only one civilization on the planet you’ve just discovered? Why wouldn’t you also visit the Romans and the Chinese, and give them your astronomical knowledge, too? The Chinese have astronomers, too. You’ve just discovered this planet, you probably don’t have much reason to favor one civilization over another. If you can travel here from another star system, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting between Mexico and China. The more people you give your knowledge to, the less chance it has of being lost to history. Exactly. This is why there are examples and evidences supporting the theory throughout the world in different civilizations. Does the I-Ching end in 2012 or is it a myth? Let’s do some myth busting. Also, the Aliens may not have wanted to intentionally give the Mayans knowledge or want it to last to history. This may not be their intent. But the Mayans uncovered some knowledge to help them in their astronomy. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/116 "2012-05-31T04:35:54Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > You connected that the fact that the Earth is round, a fact that was established in 500 BC, to the discovery of America some 2000 years later. This is a major blunder, not a small grammatical error. How can you not see that yourself? I connected it? How _CAN_ you see that yourself? LOL ie. How so? ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/117 "2012-05-31T04:38:16Z")
> [@Yumblie](#): > > Let me ask you something. Have you ever done astronomy before? Astronomy without a telescope is actually really simple. It just takes diligence and careful note taking. > > What, exactly, did the Mayans do that no other culture at the time did? What specific discoveries did they make that were ahead of their time? > > I’ve done some preliminary research on astronomy in the Rigveda, and have found nothing other than mention of eclipses and attempts to date the manuscript using star positions listed in it. If the manuscript did indeed claim all those things you said it did, that would be quite remarkable. Do you have a cite for all that? One of those “quotes” is a little confusing, being that it mentions 9 planets but fails to mention the Kuiper Belt. I guess these ancient aliens were fond of Pluto too, huh? The Kuiper (if you are referring to the asteroid-) Belt was the 9th planet. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/118 "2012-05-31T05:50:09Z")
That was a joke if it wasn’t clear. Above. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/119 "2012-05-31T05:55:06Z")
> [@garbonzo607](#): > > The Kuiper (if you are referring to the asteroid-) Belt was the 9th planet. > [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > There are lots of holidays in different cultures that have no astronomical significance. We just had one in the US on Monday. Our New Year’s Day has no particular astronomical significance. The year 2000 in the Gregorian (not Georgian, btw) calendar had no particular astronomical significance. The Jewish New Year happens when we first see a waxing crescent moon in a certain month (or at least at one time it did, now it happens when Google says it does, as God intended ;)). The Islamic calendar works similarly. Nothing happens, astronomically speaking, when the Jewish or Islamic calendar begins a new year that doesn’t happen every month. > > The Gregorian, Jewish, and Islamic calendars used today date their year 1 to some supposed historic event (the birth of Jesus, the creation of the world, and the emigration of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina, respectively). The year 2000 in the Gregorian calendar was a date that happened to fall 2000 years after the people who compiled the calendar believed Jesus was born. How do you know that the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan calendar isn’t just a day that happens to fall a certain number of days after the ancient Maya believed some event of historic significance happened? That’s what the year 2000 in the Gregorian calendar, the year 5000 in the Jewish calendar, and the year 1000 in the Islamic calendar were. There are certainly cultures that have used the Gregorian and Islamic calendars that are or were quite advanced in astronomy. It doesn’t follow from that that every significant date in their calendars is correlated to some astronomical event. Yes, but we know why these celebrations exist. We don’t know what the fuck the Mayans are celebrating on that date. Or why. And frankly, I doubt the Mayans who will be doing their dance on that day know why anymore either. ---
**Author:** ![garbonzo607](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@garbonzo607](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garbonzo607)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399/120 "2012-05-31T05:59:08Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I will say I was a bit depressed when the recent 9/11 thread, “Orbs attacked the WTC!” was half-deleted by the mods… depressed, because that sort of crazy just doesn’t show up every day. > > But now we got the Galactic Aligners to keep us amused, so times are good again. > > Bless you, **Garbonzo**. Post 61, when you link GA-deniers with Holocaust-deniers, is an instant classic. I really appreciate it. 🙂 Yes, the conspiracy theorists for the WTC are crazy. But you misrepresent me when you say I link the GA-deniers with the Holocaust-deniers. I link the alien-deniers with the Holocaust-deniers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-the-galactic-alignment/623399.md?page=7)