The Jupiter Effect is a bestselling 1974 book by John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann, which predicted that an alignment of the planets would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault, on March 10, 1982.[1] The predicted catastrophes did not occur.
Astronomers had long been aware that there would be an alignment of the planets on that date, when Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn would be on the same side of the Sun, within a 95 degree wide interval. But no effect could be expected as the gravitational effect of the other planets on the Earth's crust is minimal even at their closest approach. The book sought to partially sidestep these objections by considering the effect of the alignment on the Sun, and hence on the solar wind, which in turn is known to affect weather on Earth. Atmospheric conditions on Earth can alter the speed of its rotation. The effect on the Sun would also be quite small, however, and in fact there had been an even closer alignment in the year 1128 without incident [2].
There was some influence by the planets, with high tide calculated at 0.04 millimeters higher than normal [3]. In April 1982, Gribbin and Plagemann published a lesser-selling book, The Jupiter Effect Revisited.[1] In it they theorized that the effect had actually taken place in 1980, despite a lack of alignment, and had triggered the eruption of Mount St. Helens. In his 1999 book "The Little Book of Science," Dr. Gribbin said of his theory "...I don't like it, and I'm sorry I ever had anything to do with it."
|
|
Wikis
Search