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Nibiru News and Planet X in 2012
Despite a Nibiru NASA connection claimed by some, the space agency says there is no Nibiru or Planet X coming to destroy Earth in 2012. Below find the latest news on Niburu, which some claim to be the comet Elenin or a rogue planet in the solar system.
By the end of the 19th Century, the relative spacing of the planets was known but the absolute distance between them was not. This scientific mystery spanning centuries was finally solved by accurate measurement of Venus Transits of 1874 and 1882.
Offering un-obstructed views of the Sun from horizon to horizon and superb weather, Hawaii was perfect for astronomers to view Venus Transits in 1874 and 1882. Such observations accurately determined the scale of the Solar System for the first time.
Sky-watching, navigation and the poetry of the cosmos runs deep in Hawaiian culture. Now Hawaiian elementary school students are diving deeply into astronomy’s the history and future through the Venus Transit.
In 1882, scientists determined Earth’s distance from the Sun by measuring the Venus Transit. This process, now applied in NASA orbiting Kepler Mission, discovers new planets by measuring the light-curve of transit across other stars faraway.
Hawaii is a metaphor for Earth’s place in the cosmos. Native Hawaiians have long recognized the sky’s spiritual and intellectual value. Hawaii hosted observers of the Venus Transits of 1874 & 1882; and it warmly supports astrophysicists today.
On June 5th or 6th, 2012 (depending on your global location) Venus appeared to cross the face of the Sun for the final time until 2117. See this magnificent event and discover the history and science of the Transit of Venus.
An astronomer has proposed the existence of an unseen planet in the distant outskirts of the solar system. It would explain the peculiar motions of Kuiper belt objects.
See amazing solar eclipse pictures from the annular eclipse of May 20, 2012 and vote for your favorites.
See meteorite photos from the daytime fireball over California and Nevada on April 22, 2012.
The crew of the International Space Station captured footage of the the perigee Moon – its closest approach to Earth of this orbital cycle – on May 5th, 2012.
Nibiru has been linked to NASA, and is also sometimes referred to or confused with Planet X, another supposed world for which there is no evidence.
Cast your vote for the best space story of the last seven days here.
In a new video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a scientist addresses many of the claims surrounding the 2012 "Mayan apocalypse."
A list of the year's solar and lunar eclipses.
Here are some of the highlights in the night skies over the next year.
The 21-mile long 'God of Love' space rock made its closest approach to Earth (15 million miles away) since 1975 on January 31st, 2012. NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR) mission landed on the asteroid on February 12, 2001.
Lights Over Lapland photographer Chad Blakley captured this amazing view of the aurora borealis in Sweden on January 24th, 2012. The January 23rd solar flare and ensuing coronal mass ejection are the 'lighting engineers' of this incredible display.
So far, winter in the continental United States has been tame at best, compared to 2011's onslaught of snowy days. Find out what the culprit is behind the mild winter and where mother nature has been dumping all her snow this winter.
