Please debunk the "Pleiades conjunction" nonsense.

Please debunk the "Pleiades conjunction" nonsense.

Leo Mauler (guest) 15 Nov 2009 18:26

I'm being badgered by a friend who insists that the "Pleiades conjunction" which allegedly will occur on May 20th, 2012 is "proof" that the Mayans could predict at least partial solar eclipses. The "Pleiades conjunction" she is talking about is when the Earth is on a line drawn between the Sun and the Pleiades cluster.

Naturally "dumb luck" has been my answer, that the Mayans predicted one event and that everyone is attempting to tack on another event which the Mayans did not predict to the Pleiades conjunction, but its to no avail.

Personally I'm hoping that someone with better astronomy knowledge than I will come up with a point, similar to the Earth never being in "conjunction" with the "Galactic Core" because Earth's orbit being 5-1/2 degrees off the "Galactic Core", to explain away the concept of a Pleiades conjunction.

john doe (guest) 01 Apr 2011 03:54

[Content removed. John Doe, we don't allow the copy-and-paste of entire articles here. You're welcome to quote short, relevant portions and post a link.]

Last edited on 01 Apr 2011 04:11 by TheGreatJuju Show more

Re: Please debunk the "Pleiades conjunction" nonsense.

Simon (guest) 15 Nov 2009 18:33

Well you said it ''nonsense''

The Mayan's dint predicted anything, where did you get thos info from?

Re: Please debunk the "Pleiades conjunction" nonsense.

Leo Mauler (guest) 15 Nov 2009 18:41

I know its nonsense, I just don't have a good answer. I was hoping someone with more astronomy knowledge knew a reason why a "Pleiades conjunction" wasn't a way in which one could predict solar eclipses.

Re: Please debunk the "Pleiades conjunction" nonsense.

bikenbeer2000 16 Nov 2009 03:37

A Google search for 'Pleiades Conjunction' only throws up links to woo-woo websites. This in itself ought to be enough to convince anyone that there's nothing in it. However, I've had a look at a few of them and (not unexpectedly) they never come up with a proper scientific explanation of the significance of this so-called event. They talk about 2012 being the start of a 360 year window, but of what? Your guess is as good as mine.
From common astronomical knowledge, there's a conjunction between the Sun and the Pleiades every year around May 20th. Like the Sun - galactic centre conjunction, it's several degrees off. Due to precession, the date will become one day later roughly every 72 years. The fact that there's a solar eclipse on that day in 2012 is pure coincidence.
To predict an eclipse, observations of the Moon are necessary. Just taking account of a Sun - Pleiades conjunction without reference to the Moon would not allow any eclipse prediction to be made.