Worst Possible Disaster to Befall Earth

Ok, so let me explain this one a bit. I am the Director of Photography for a film group here in Columbus. We shot a feature length film a year ago called Singularity 2012 for submission to Sundance (the editing isn't complete yet). Our solar system moves in a SIN curve like pattern around the edge of the galaxy. As many of you know if you look at our galaxy from the side, there is a thin, black band that we know as the "dark rift" which is a collection of dust particles and other random cosmic objects. Around 2012, our solar system is scheduled to pass through the dark rift.

In our film, a cosmic dust cloud is discovered approaching our galaxy. The film takes place over the course of a year, people learn of this 'impending doom' and have to learn to deal with the inevitable. Also, nanotechnology is introduced to assist humanity in overcoming this disaster, but many of us are reluctant to accept this. So, of course, the government shoves it down our throats by releasing nanobots into the water systems. Anyway, this film is not necessarily about the disaster, but the way humans deal with potentially deadly change that's out of their control.

I thought this sort of storyline was unique, but interestingly enough, I discovered an article of exactly this scenario. Cosmic Disaster Scenario

I also found this documentary excerpt on YouTube

The popular science site says we probably won't hit one for at least 40 million years. But if the galactic plane (dark rift) really is filled with cosmic dust, I could see this scenario being possible.

This is my first topic on this site. Let me know what you think of this theory?

reply to post by Avarus


I hate to burst your bubble, but the most that would occur on 2012 would be shift in our polarity. The poles haven't shifted for quite some time and all scientists have calculated taht we are due now at anytime. Yes, I am aware of our solar system coming into this plane in our galaxy, but again it wil probably trigger a solar flare which would trigger the pole shift!!

I dont get it. You are saying that the solar system during the revolution around milky way will pass through a dust cloud in our galaxy of in your words a dark zone. But since the zone is in our galaxy itself, it should also revolve around the galaxy. See my point.

reply to post by Avarus




Welcome.


Well, "anything" can happen, really. And as anything can happen, you can also let the fantasy flow in all directions, creating a bunch of dirrefent scenarios and then see which one you likes the best.

Or, take all possible scenarios and put them in the same movie.

reply to post by peacejet


I do know what he's on about... Basically as we travel around the centre of our galaxy we don't maintain the same position relitive to the center. If you think as if you are looking at the milky way 'edge on' you would see our position as a 'wave', we pass through the disk and then we pass through again to go into the trough - a SIN wave with the rim of the galaxy being the value zero.

Originally posted by peacejet
I dont get it. You are saying that the solar system during the revolution around milky way will pass through a dust cloud in our galaxy of in your words a dark zone. But since the zone is in our galaxy itself, it should also revolve around the galaxy. See my point.

Hey that's pretty good peacejet! Very nice!

re: rest of thread:

I don't think the Earth just rolls over when there is a pole shift. My understanding of a pole shift is that it is gradual. I would like to see proof of quick physical pole shift.

I'm not a huge fan of 2012 hysteria but by all means you should investigate scientifically and determine the truth for yourselves.


[edit on 2/2/09 by stikkinikki]

Ill make this simple, the earth rotates right? But do we feel the earth rotating. And when we see the stars in other arms of the milky way, we see them in the same position, because it moves with the same velocity relative to us. So, this dark zone must also, be moving relative us, and we should never encounter it at all.

Now_Then seems to have the right idea peacejet. I believe there is a visual depiction of our path through the milky way. (I don't really like the video because it's incredibly sensationalized, but it has some good visuals.)
Here's a screencap

If you consider our sun(and solar system) as a tiny speck in the milky way galaxy... we're moving around the outside of the galaxy. However, our sun also bobs up and down through the galaxy. So when the sun dips through the plane in the galaxy, that's when we're supposedly going to pass through the dark rift. I think you're confusing our galaxy with our solar system.

Does that make more sense?

reply to post by stikkinikki


In my understanding, I would say during the pole shift, only the magnetic poles of earth would swap positions, and not the geographic poles itself.

reply to post by Avarus





I see your point. But you must understand that not only us, but other things in the galaxy also will follow this sine wave pattern and does not remain static. So, the dark rift, which here means, void of matter, should also move.

No worries twistedworld, there's no bubble to burst really. We just came up with the movie premise for fun. I was just surprised to see a related topic on popsci. I personally don't expect anything to happen. I think 2012 is just a date to restart the Mayan calendar. Similar to when we hit December and go back to January again...

Something that I do find very interesting is that on these "OMFG THE END IS NEAR" documentaries always show the Aztec calendar when they're talking about the Mayans. This is what the Mayan calendars look like:


The Aztec calendar looks like this:


What's up with that? I guess the Aztec calendar just look cooler to the producers... *shrug*

That's true peacejet, other things do move, but the galaxy's center does not (in relation to celestial objects within that galaxy). It's difficult to come up with an analogy but I'll try.

If you put a ball on a string and hold onto the end of the string. Now, if you spin around and around, the ball will spin with you, but it's height will vary. If you draw an invisible plane at it's average height, you will see it passes through that plane but doesn't necessarily stay there. Our movement in the galaxy isn't as erratic as a ball on a string spun by a human, but similar in theory.

Originally posted by peacejet
I see your point. But you must understand that not only us, but other things in the galaxy also will follow this sine wave pattern and does not remain static. So, the dark rift, which here means, void of matter, should also move.

Well you could consider our solar system as more organised than clouds of dust and loose groupings of rock - that wave patten may of been set up as we are more dense (as a solar system with a big old star and all). So either side of the galactic plain we could be 'flying' through clear space, and it's just gonna get more congested and crowded as we travel through the plain.

reply to post by Now_Then


Are you saying that centrifugal force is kind of accelerating us and slowing down the dust particles in the dark zone, because of the lack of mass.

reply to post by peacejet


Well I could not say what the reason for this would be - just saying if you think that the milky way has formed this disk where everything is on a very thin plain... Than naturally if you were to pass through that plain you would encounter more material - ie asteriods and such.

tend to think of is a bit like Saturns rings, the rings a almost razor thin compared to the planet, you could 'fly' a kilometre above or below them, but if you try driving your space ship through them it would be madness, you'd be very lucky to make it out the other side!

Originally posted by twistedworld
reply to post by Avarus

 

I hate to burst your bubble, but the most that would occur on 2012 would be shift in our polarity. The poles haven't shifted for quite some time and all scientists have calculated taht we are due now at anytime. Yes, I am aware of our solar system coming into this plane in our galaxy, but again it wil probably trigger a solar flare which would trigger the pole shift!!

Thanks for acting like you know exactly what is going to happen next. I'm sure it will further the discussion the OP wished to have....NOT.

reply to post by Now_Then


I see the point, but the gravity of nearby stars will clear it right?

Originally posted by peacejet
I dont get it. You are saying that the solar system during the revolution around milky way will pass through a dust cloud in our galaxy of in your words a dark zone. But since the zone is in our galaxy itself, it should also revolve around the galaxy. See my point.

Yes, I see your point. It's flawed. What the OP was referring to was the concept that we are orbiting and moving on a sinusoidal wave. If the dark rift he refers to is say "below" us, relative to some reference plane, we can still orbit with it and pass through it.

His point wasn't about that though. If you read the OP's original point is about how the general populace reacts, or more importantly fails to react, to information.

reply to post by peacejet


Gravity sucks!

Wouldn't more material be drawn into our gravity well??

Right, theoretically, if this plane had any amount of gravitational pull, small particles would more easily be effected by it, and accumulate on it. This accumulation 'dust' could be a bunch of objects that's as as small as cigarette ash. If you look at the milky way from our perspective on earth, this accumulation of cosmic dust blocks out a band of light right down the center of the galaxy. It's quite interesting really.

When we pass through it, I wonder if we'll experience secondhand smoke from our galaxy...