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NEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCE Comet Elenin Brings Doomsday Scenarios and a Reality Check Const Elenin (also known by its astronomical name C/2010 X1) was first detected on 10 December 2010 by Leonid Elenin, an observer in Lyubertsy, Russia, who made the discovery "remotely" using the ISON-NM observatory near Mayhill, New Mexico, USA. At the time of the discovery, the comet was about 647 million kilometres (401 million miles) from Earth. Comet Elenin will cross Earth's orbit on its inbound leg and again on its outbound swing around the Sun later this year. It should be at its brightest shortly before the time of its closest approach to Earth on 16 October. At its closest point, it will be 35 million kilometres (22 million miles) from us. Can this icy interloper influence us from where it is or where it will be in the future? What about this celestial object inspiring some shifting of the tides or even tectonic plates here on Earth? A dizzying collection of doomsday predictions has already been linked to comet Elenin. The hysteria was inevitable as anxiety grows over the approach of 2012—supposedly a game-changing year for life on Earth, according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar. If you believe the conspiracy whistleblower or channelled entities’ material on numerous websites, forums and YouTube clips, then this is not merely a "renegade comet” that just couldn't wait for 2012 to mess with the Earth: it might also be Nibiru, Planet X or an ET-controlled terraforming device— any of which may even cause a pole shift. Comet Elenin has already been blamed for triggering earthquakes, shifting the Earth's rotational axis, melting ice on Mars and stirring up a storm on Saturn. And that's just the beginning. There are numerous "Cometgate" allegations of news media and government cover-ups of the existence of hidden comet shelters for US officials for when Elenin gets closer; and then there is the story of how the Vatican is recalling all its archbishops to Rome over the critical period in October. Elenin's path through the inner solar system is also being closely watched by hundreds of amateur earthquake-watchers for tectonic events that may be connected to the various alignments made between itself and the inner planets. NASA and many scientists take the following view... The effect of the comet on Earth at its closest approach will be as inconsequential as that of a mosquito slamming head-on into an ocean-going supertanker. Let's look at the physics. Comet Elenin is a loose agglomeration of volatile ices and dust a few miles across. It is therefore one hundred billionth the mass of our Moon. The comet's tidal pull on Earth at its closest approach will be approximately one hundred trillionth the force of the Moon's tidal pull on Earth. °o (Sources: NASA JPL News Release, 4 May 2011, http://tinyurl.com/3ckz64r; Discovery News, 22 March 2011, http://tinyurl.com/ 6cqd2a7; Orbit Diagram below from http://tinyurl.com/4bn8dzn) €/2010 X1 (Elenin) Sun Distance :0 = Oct 19, 2011 NEXUS ¢ 51 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com