The mysterious planet Nibiru has fueled apocalyptic theories, from a potential Earth collision to links with ancient aliens. However, what is Nibiru, and how does it link to apocalypticism?
Nibiru: The enigmatic planet which triggered disastrous concepts
The concept of Nibiru rose to prominence due to Zecharia Sitchin’s 1976 book The Twelfth Planet, alleging, that it is a faraway planet, the orbit of which is 3,600 years and that it is associated with cataclysm and the extraterrestrials called the Anunnaki. Nevertheless, his readings of the ancient scriptures were unfavorably received, for his readings were notoriously inaccurate.
The theory gained momentum, especially when tied to 2012, when the Mayan calendar supposedly predicted the end of the world. For 2003 psychic Nancy Lieder predicted that Nibiru would impact Earth, however, when this did not occur the impact time frame was moved to 2012. Despite the lack of disaster, the Nibiru myth persisted.
Misperception amid comets & planets drives Nibiru myths
Many of the Nibiru myths are because there is confusion around real celestial objects. For instance, comet Elenin “came close” to Earth in 2011, inspiring some Nibiru followers to speculate that it was a planet in disguise about to do planetary damages. But comets and planets are very distinct; comets have tails and atmospheres, and planets do not. Doomsday prognostications were cast to the winds when Comet Elenin fragmented after it escaped the Sun.
Albeit several of other celestial bodies such as Comet ISON and trans-Neptunian bodies (Eris and Sedna) have been wrongly associated with Nibiru based on their orbits and shapes. These objects are related to our solar system at large distances from the extraterrestrial planet postulated in the Nibiru myth.
Scientists disprove Nibiru: Unpredictable orbits & zero evidence
The idea of Nibiru has time and time again been refuted by scientists for several reasons. Afterwards, it has been argued that the orbit proposed for Nibiru (if it exists) would be very unstable. A planet with a 3,600-year orbit would cause major disruptions to the orbits of other planets, including Earth.
These gravitational interactions would eventually destabilize the solar system and life on Earth would be extremely unlikely. Secondly, if there is such a planet orbiting around the Earth as suspected, it would be noticeable by professional astronomers as well as amateurs.
In fact, calculations show that if a planet with such an orbit were headed toward Earth, it would have been visible to the naked eye well before 2012. But a planet of this type has never been detected, and the suggestion that such schemes have been concealed by governments and NASA does not hold scrutiny.
As noted by astronomer David Morrison, “NASA and the government get most of their information from outside astronomers, not the other way around. The most realistic analog in the real world of Nibiru is Planet Nine (just like this discovery of planet nine which is taking the world by storm), an assumed planet and possibly much wider than observed beyond Neptune.
Found in 2014, Planet Nine is thought to have a highly eccentric orbit, which fits some of the peculiar paths of objects in the outer solar regions. But for all that, if Planet Nine really does exist-and that is of course highly doubtful-Planet Nine exists far beyond the solar system and has a perfectly stable orbit that would not pose any danger to Earth at all. However, contrary to the misleading myths, the unfounded apocalyptic predictions all lack any evidence for the reality of Nibiru.
It is a product of misinterpretation, sensationalism, and pseudoscience. Now, as space remains intriguingly and inspiringly a source of wonder and curiosity, the reality is that our solar system is a far more stable and calculable environment than Nibiru enthusiasts would lead one to think. So don’t fret-there is no cosmic calamity on the horizon, and the only apocalypse to fear is the one we ourselves build with our actions on Earth (just like this solar system replica which is found 1 trillion km away).
