Page 43 - 201012 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Decemmber 2010

2012 Alien Invasion? Um, No. 2012 Alien Invasion? Um, No. Ian O’Neill Discovery News Just how ridiculous can 2012 doomsday theories get? Well, according to the Examiner.com (a rather dubious, yet expansive news website), 2012 could be filled with an alien invasion fleet after "3 very large, very fast moving objects" were spotted in some astronomical images. But there's a problem. The "UFO Examiner" reporting this nonsense appears to have made the whole thing up, using a fictitious astrophysicist as a source, a dodgy astronomical photograph and a whole truckload of delusional imagination to communicate the fantasy. ANALYSIS: Can Science Beat the Doomsday Hype? It's been a while since I last tackled the nonsensical 2012 doomsday claims -- and I used to do it a lot, culminating in my appearance on the Discovery Channel documentary "2012 Apocalypse" -- so this "alien invasion" theory really piqued my interest. not a ginormous alien space ship flying toward If this Examiner article has about as This is the first real attempt for some Earth? Apart from the simple application of much integrity as every other false 2012 claim, time that I've seen someone trying to indicate logical thought, astronomers will often why am I even bothering to write about it? there will be an alien invasion in 2012. It's been photograph the same part of the night sky with The key component of the vast majority done before, but the invading aliens -- involving several different filters. If the object is in the of doomsday theories is to whip up fear in the Zecharia Sitchin's comical "Annunaki" -- are blue filter, say (as the above photo was lifted aim of making money. If you (incorrectly) supposed to be traveling aboard a fictional from), and not in the red filter, then it is highly believe the world is going to end via some planet called Nibiru (set to arrive on Dec. 21, likely that the object isn't real and it's just a fleck cosmic purveyor of death and destruction on 2012, of course). of dirt on one of the plates. Dec. 21, 2012, in all likelihood you found out Although Bad Astronomer Phil Plait Or, you could just take an experienced about it in a doomsday book, on some does and awesome job of smacking down this astronomer's word for it: doomsayer's website or some horribly edited latest 2012 tomfoolery, I thought I'd add my "To my very experienced eye (30+ years YouTube video. They aren't publicizing the end skeptical 2c-worth. as an astronomer, and well over a decade of the world as some helpful public service dealing with digital imagery including staring at announcement, they're doing it to make money. ANALYSIS: Nibiru - Armageddon raw Hubble data in excruciating detail) that’s The doomsayers who aren't doing it for Planet or Astronomical Baloney? what we have here. The other images are money are doing it because they have a dubious similar, showing blobby stuff that looks like lint grasp on reality. or some other foreign object that got stuck in the The fear being generated by the end of As Phil clearly points out, the flimsy plate when it was scanned." -- Phil Plait, Bad the Mayan calendar and the scores of fake 2012 piece of evidence being used by the "UFO Astronomy, Discover Magazine astronomical events being predicted is deeply Examiner" (sadly, this is a position that the saddening. At its peak, when I was writing for Examiner considers to be a journalistic position) the Universe Today tackling this 2012 guff, I is actually an image defect on the observation ANALYSIS: New Zealand would receive a dozen emails per day from plate. This happens a lot! Government Opens UFO Files genuinely worried people. This in itself was What makes this particular example enough to make me realize that debunking 2012 (pictured top) susceptible to image defects is There are many other claims in the doomsday theories was a worth-while venture. that the original image was captured on a Examiner article (that I won't directly link to as physical photographic plate and then scanned it is highly the author of this "alien invasion" ANALYSIS: 2012 Mayan Calendar and digitized (i.e., copied onto a computer for rubbish will make money through links to his easy access) through the 2nd Generation article, but if you really want to read it, Google 'Doomsday' Date Might Be Wrong Digitized Sky Survey. it), but all are incorrect. During the scanning process, it is nigh- Probably the most scary part is that the We might be scraping the bottom of the on impossible to remove all dust and other author appears to have fabricated his only barrel here -- come on, aliens? Giant debris from the plates, so dust and other debris source. SETI astrophysicist Craig Kasnov spaceships? Alien invasion in 2012?! -- but it is can often be found floating in some digitized doesn't exist. absolutely right to expose these doomsday images. Also, chips and cracks in the emulsion Although Craig Kasnoff (not Kasnov) theories for what they really are: complete and of the plates will be scanned. does exist and he was associated with the total bunkum with little or no scientific But how do you know if what you're SETI@Home distributed software, he isn't an foundation. looking at is a chip, scratch or coffee stain and astrophysicist and even denies everything the If you're ever in doubt about the validity Examiner article is implying: of any doomsday claim, follow the rules I list in "If this discussion, or the article, is my 2009 article "How Do You Spot Science 1 ,.( =! = (2146 inferring that I, Craig Kasnoff, (and not Craig Abuse in the Social Media Soup?", they are applicable to any doomsday claim with our Kasnov) made an announcement regarding Go To 'large objects rapidly approaching Earth', then without the presence of invading alien hoards. www.XUFORC.com that is just plain false." -- Craig Kasnoff www..news.discovery.com Why Bother?