Sun Dog

I had mentioned in my previous post about Sun Dog, which is a type of an ice halo. Click Here to read my post on Halo.

A Sun Dog is a particular type of ice halo. It is a colored patch of light to the left or right of the sun, 22 (or more) degrees distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun. It is the most commonly or second most commonly seen of the ice halos. Sun Dogs can be seen anywhere in the world during any season. They are best seen and at their most conspicuous when the sun is low. They are not rainbows.

These Sun Dogs are commonly mistaken for the Planet Nibiru.

Here are some of the pictures of the Sun Dog.

Planet Nibiru and 2012

This post is dedicated to my friend Shiyamili who once asked me to write a post about the Planet Nibiru and the destruction of Earth in 2012.

First of all, what is Planet Nibiru? There is a conspiracy thoery stating that a rogue planet will destroy Earth on December 12, 2012. It is said that this threatening planet on a 3600-year orbit was discovered by the ancient Mesopotamians, who named it Nibiru, and it was known also to the Mayans, who associated it with the end of their calendar "long count" in December 2012.

It is rumored that the planet will be visible to our naked eye by 2009 in the southern hemisphere. It is also rumored that NASA is keeping an eye on the planet.

"In spite of my frustrations, I can always hope that Nibiru will turn into a teaching moment. Its proponents are convinced that it will be visible to the unaided eye this coming spring, and its effects on the rotation and orbit of the Earth will be obvious by summer. When none of this happens, I hope they'll realize that they need better tools to distinguish fact from fiction.", says David Morrison, a space scientist at NASA.

The existence of Nibiru is based on Sumerian mythology. At that time there was no telescope and hence there was no way the Sumerians would have seen a planet beyond the range of Pluto. Moreover, every object discovered beyond the range of Pluto are smaller than Pluto itself. Such large planet doesn't seem to exist. If the theory is true, the planet must have been visible to our naked eye by now. The only way to confirm is, by waiting, as David Morrison said.

But there are news of Planet Nibiru, which can be seen in our naked eye. Here's the picture proof.


That's an interesting one. If Planet Nibiru was so bright, why aren't everyone able to see it? Anyways, you want to know what that bright spot is? It's called as the 'Sun Dog'. A Sun Dog is a particular type of a Ice Halo. Some amateur astronomers and photographers are confusing it with the Planet Nibiru. Click Here to know about Sun Dogs.

Well, all I can say is that there is no such thing as the Planet Nibiru or destruction of Earth in 2012. If it is true, you MUST be able to see the planet in the next few months. Or, it's just fake and nothing else.

Click Here to know how the rumor of Nibiru began.

Solar Eclipse - July 22, 2009

A Total Solar Eclipse occurs on July 22, 2009. The eclipse will be visible on northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean. This is also the first Solar Eclipse of the year [January eclipse was an annular].

The below picture shows the umbra and penumbra of the eclipse. The regions under the dot experiences a total solar eclipse and the regions under the shadow circle experiences a partial eclipse. [NOTE: It is an animated image]


Chennai City experiences a partial eclipse. The eclipse begins right at sunrise 5:28 am and ends at 10:42 am when the moon leaves the sunset point at the pacific. The next solar eclipse in India will be on January 5, 2010, which will be an annular eclipse with umbra passing near Chennai.

Earthquake and Tsunami Prediction:

There has been an earthquake prediction by a software developer who specializes in Computer Game Physics and has posted a theory on a blog post. According to the theory, the long total eclipse will cause a tectonic plate shift in south of Japan resulting a major Tsunami. However, the author claims that this is only a theory and acknowledges that he is not qualified to make a formal prediction. The news is swiftly gaining attention worldwide as an electronic chain letter. Mainstream scientists and media have already rejected this hypothesis stating that there is no credible evidence to prove any relationship between solar eclipses and earthquakes.