NASA laughs off comet fears
A comet that some doomsayers had warned was going to cause big changes on Earth will in fact pass harmlessly by.
So says NASA anyway, which may not ease the fears of comet believers.
Geekosystem reports that comet Elenin, which is predicted to have its closest approach to Earth on Oct. 16, stirred apocalyptic end-times rumors, including the theory that NASA has engaged in a coverup about a potential "brown dwarf" effect from its passage that could change the course of celestial objects. Some believe that Elenin has already caused major earthquakes, which have been progressively stronger as the comet nears our world.
The space agency set out to debunk such theories by issuing a press release. In it, NASA noted that the relatively small size of Comet Elenin and its distance from the Earth — it won't get any closer than 22 million miles away — make its upcoming passage pretty much a nonevent that will have "immeasurably minuscule influence on our planet."
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