Let’s just get this out of the way up front: Nibiru, aka Planet X, does not exist. It is not going to collide with Earth on Saturday. And the end time is not about to begin.

NASA helped explain this back on December 21, 2012, when people incorrectly thought the Mayan calendar foretold the end of the world, and we’re here to remind you again that the scientists at NASA who’ve dedicated their lives to enhancing human understanding of space know way more about space than you or any YouTuber do.

The Planet X conspiracy theory has gained traction over the years as trust in public institutions has fallen and the internet has enabled amateur sleuths to amplify, legitimize, and present their “research” to a wider audience.

Enter Planet X.

According to a small but vocal group of conspiracy theorists, a planet called Nibiru, or Planet X, intercepts Earth’s orbit ever 3,600 years, passing within 14 million miles of Earth — the sun is 93 million miles away, so this would put Nibiru pretty close. They have some pseudoscientific reasons that supposedly explain why we can’t see this planet that’s allegedly about to crash into us, but we at Inverse find NASA’s 2012 explanations more compelling and scientifically rigorous:

Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?

A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.

Of course, for those who subscribe to the school of thought that gives rise to such conspiracy theories as Nibiru or the flat Earth, NASA’s authority is irrelevant. NASA’s official statements simply prove the depth of the cover-up.

But for those who believe in science and the scientific process, here’s another gem from NASA’s 2012 debunk … which went live on December 22, 2012, the day after the Earth was supposed to be destroyed. It’s as true now as it was then:

Q: How do NASA scientists feel about claims of the world ending in 2012?

A: For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.

Where’s the science? Where’s the evidence? There is none. Let’s put this Planet X thing to bed once and for all.

If you liked this article, check out this video about how the flat earth movement is making a comebac

 
Photos via Flickr / cardin.alberto

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