Scientific-esque Question

[Flash-er]

I was watching one of those "end of the world in 2012" programs on TV and they mentioned the solar system being perfectly aligned with the center of Orion's belt and how the gravitational forces could shift the axis of the earth. Now, assuming you're of a serious mind and not just going to toss out a childish comment, I'm here to ask... what if it's already been happening? Instead of it being one huge shift, it's been happening gradually? This could help to explain the changing weather, climate, and the melting icecaps. Granted, all the pollution and deforestation doesn't help, but that's the idea I'm putting out there. Crazy? Probably, but lets here your thoughts.

 

[EdRyder]

Pollution and deforestation have nothing to do with what you're talking about.
Gravitational forces already have the milky way on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy(about 5 billion years from now) Where the earth will end up after that is anyones guess.
The milky ways super massive black hole doesn't consume as much as other galaxies so our galaxy is safer than most. I suppose solar flares from the earths sun could disrupt gravitational fields and that could be cataclysmic.Odds of that happening are non existent tho.Lets put it this way:Its never happened before. Nothing like that occurred in our galaxy even before man.

 

[Canadian Rider]

This is some good info here -

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/earth2.html

Weather changes, the icecaps recede and then grow. The planet does her best to maintain the temperature that keeps us all alive, but the pollution in the air is the least of our problems.

The lack of Trees and deforestation are doing more than our pollution to an extent. We are putting more CO2 into the air and removing the "filters" that would normally clean the air out.

The Universe is expanding and things are realiging ... but the problem you have with the 2012 thing is this.

These dudes thought that by slaughtering their own people and sacrificing virgins the Gods would be pleased.

Do you really want to trust their astronomical charts that 2012 is the end? What is interesting is that when you look at pictures of the charts that are shown, sometimes the cycle is complete ... because they ran out of room. The stone was a limited size.

The other stones and markers are on long walls and they also "run out."

In other words, if they had bigger stones and longer walls ... maybe their charts would have continued.

Again, they ate the internal organs of their defeated enemies to gain "power." I don't think I want to trust them to tell me about the end of the world.

The old adage holds true - "Check your source."

Just saying.

 

[Spider-Who?]

I was watching one of those "end of the world in 2012" programs on TV and they mentioned the solar system being perfectly aligned with the center of Orion's belt and how the gravitational forces could shift the axis of the earth. Now, assuming you're of a serious mind and not just going to toss out a childish comment, I'm here to ask... what if it's already been happening? Instead of it being one huge shift, it's been happening gradually? This could help to explain the changing weather, climate, and the melting icecaps. Granted, all the pollution and deforestation doesn't help, but that's the idea I'm putting out there. Crazy? Probably, but lets here your thoughts.

Well, first you would have to believe that those phenomena are A) even really happening and/or B) not part of Earth's natural cycle. And as another poster said, pollution and deforestation are not related to what you are talking about.

That being said, one could assume that you could be correct in the sense that the gravitational pull of galaxies are constantly, slowly, having an effect on one another. Nothing stands still, nothing never has no affect on another; just because its imperceptible to the human senses doesnt mean nothing is happening.

 

[Carcharodon]

And as another poster said, these things are not related to what you are talking about.

Really? ****ing with earth's orbit wouldn't have an impact on climate cycles? That's news to me.

 

[VampElvis]

Yes, that's not outside the realm of possibility, but quite unlikely.

 

[VampElvis]

Really? ****ing with earth's orbit wouldn't have an impact on climate cycles? That's news to me.

And anyone who knows diddly about science.
I got a good chuckle out of it, though.

 

[The Battousai]

OP:

Do you really think a particular collection of stars ranging from 243 to 1,360 light years away will have any more of an effect than any other system at that distance? Why not closer ones?

And why would an "alignment" be significant at all? It's completely arbitrary.

 

[Spider-Who?]

Really? ****ing with earth's orbit wouldn't have an impact on climate cycles? That's news to me.

And anyone who knows diddly about science.
I got a good chuckle out of it, though.

Good god, I worded **** wrong; i was talking about the pollution and deforestation.

no need for the sarcasm.

 

[Majic Walrus]

OP:

Do you really think a particular collection of stars ranging from 243 to 1,360 light years away will have any more of an effect than any other system at that distance? Why not closer ones?

And why would an "alignment" be significant at all? It's completely arbitrary.

 

[Shemtov]

OP:

Do you really think a particular collection of stars ranging from 243 to 1,360 light years away will have any more of an effect than any other system at that distance? Why not closer ones?

And why would an "alignment" be significant at all? It's completely arbitrary.

That whole thing about the ancheint Hebrews is so untrue.

 

[Flash-er]

OP:

Do you really think a particular collection of stars ranging from 243 to 1,360 light years away will have any more of an effect than any other system at that distance? Why not closer ones?

And why would an "alignment" be significant at all? It's completely arbitrary.

I thought my question was clear, but I guess not. Maybe you didn't read the original question at the start of the thread. The show made some reference to Orion's belt, but that wasn't what I thought the important part. What I thought of to be important was that the alignment of the SOLAR SYSTEM. I would think it's possible that if all the planets were in a straight line, the pull from each other could cause a sudden shift. And though there may be a gradual shifting in the axis of the earth, the alignment of the planets at that time could cause it to be more sudden and radical than would normally be. In other words the shift could cause East and west to be the new North and South and vice versa.

BTW, kudos on the name.

Canadian Rider, where did you get the idea that they "ran out of space"? Somehow I doubt that a culture that was so mathamatically intelligent would've failed to do something as simple as make the pictures smaller. Put simply with another old adage, "Measure twice, cut once." And sure, they may have had belief in extinct gods, but just because you're wrong on one thing doesn't mean everything you do is wrong. Einstein believed in a solid state universe even though his theories pointed toward an expanding one. *shrug*

To the other person, deforestation and pollution wouldn't change the global axis, no. That statement was in reference to the climate change.

 

[The Battousai]

That whole thing about the ancheint Hebrews is so untrue.

Are you an ancient Hebrew?

Regardless, the point of the video still stands.

 

[The Battousai]

I thought my question was clear, but I guess not. Maybe you didn't read the original question at the start of the thread. The show made some reference to Orion's belt, but that wasn't what I thought the important part.

This is what you posted:

I was watching one of those "end of the world in 2012" programs on TV and they mentioned the solar system being perfectly aligned with the center of Orion's belt and how the gravitational forces could shift the axis of the earth. Now, assuming you're of a serious mind and not just going to toss out a childish comment, I'm here to ask... what if it's already been happening? Instead of it being one huge shift, it's been happening gradually? This could help to explain the changing weather, climate, and the melting icecaps. Granted, all the pollution and deforestation doesn't help, but that's the idea I'm putting out there. Crazy? Probably, but lets here your thoughts.

That is certainly not that same as saying the planets in the solar system were aligned (with Orion's belt or not). Poor wording is your foe here.

The main issue with your "question" is that it makes assertions without a sound foundation to build on.

What I thought of to be important was that the alignment of the SOLAR SYSTEM. I would think it's possible that if all the planets were in a straight line, the pull from each other could cause a sudden shift.

Let me put the size of our solar system into perspective via "Andromeda's Wake":
[YT]N_RqlTi6wGY[/YT]

Do you really think that the planets being in a straight line for just a moment (if it's even possible) will affect anything?

The fact that Pluto's orbit is not on the same plane as the other satellites in the system makes the event's likelihood drop severely.

And though there may be a gradual shifting in the axis of the earth, the alignment of the planets at that time could cause it to be more sudden and radical than would normally be.

It takes about 26,000 years for Earth's axial precession to complete a cycle.

In other words the shift could cause East and west to be the new North and South and vice versa.

:facepalm

These directions are relative. Whichever pole is called "North" will be called such until a magnetic reversal occurs again (the last one took place about 800,000 years ago). South will take the opposite position from "North". East and West will stay relative to North and South as they do now.

Basically, nothing will really change. With a reversal, the directions simply do a 180.

BTW, kudos on the name.