In a message dated 97-12-03 01:40:19 EST, Christine Boltz wrote:
> The planets were also lined up in 1982--I remember discussing with my
sixth
> grade classmates how something apocalyptic was supposed to happen at the
> exact minute when the planets were aligned. I am not an astronomer
either,
> but it seems hard to believe that they would be lined up again so soon.
> Maybe that is just a millenium-end-apocalypse rumor. I would think there
> would be some of those . . .
>
And Geoffrey Sperl wrote:
>
> >Vonda N. McIntyre wrote:
> >
> >> This would be quite a trick since Neptune and
> >> Pluto can't be seen with the naked eye under any
> >> conditions, and Uranus only faintly under
> >> extraordinary circumstances.
> >
> >Well, you know Vonda, some of the more apocalyptic types seem to think
> >we're in for a big huge cosmic cataclysm either next year or 1999
> >because all of the planets are going to be lined up (don't ask me if
> >it's true...my astronomy knowledge ends with a "C" in freshman college
> >astrophysics...though I did see Hale-Bopp). So, perhaps the planets
> >will reveal themselves to us, and the Earth will be destroyed in a rain
> >of fire and brimstone...or, perhaps, Ming the Merciless is going to
> >attempt to crash Mongo into Earth...
> >
> >- Geoffrey
> >--
> >
> >Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Ford Prefect
> >
> >http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8499
>
>
To which Barbara Benesch tried to reply on the list, but managed only to send
to Geoffrey, because "Aggravating On-Line" likes to mess with Barb's head:
Okay, okay, I was only listening to the news with half an ear at like 2:30 in
the morning, so I guess you'll need binoculars or something in order to
actually see all the planets, but they _will_ all be in a row, and the
astronomer-guy I heard talking about it said that it "didn't require any
special equipment" which I translated as "with the naked eye" without first
thinking it through. Also, this is only going to happen again in about a
century. And, back in the '80s, I think that was actually an astral
conjunction, not a planetary alignment. I could be completely wrong, in
which case I give up completely, but I thought people might like to have
their shot before Monday, as I for one don't imagine I'll likely be around
for it when it happens next century.
Barbara Benesch
BJBenesch@aol.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 19:07:38 PDT