End of the World as We Know It? Not on April 23

The apocalypse has not been cancelled, just rescheduled, according to those who believe a rogue [...]

The apocalypse has not been cancelled, just rescheduled, according to those who believe a rogue planet called Nibiru will crash into the earth on April 23.

The planet does not exist, and scientists are sure nothing will happen on that day.

On Thursday, The Daily Express reported that conspiracy theorists believe passage 12:1-2 in the Book of Revelation hints at April 23, 2018 as the day the world ends.

"And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 star," the passage reads. "She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth."

The woman mentioned is thought to be Virgo. On April 23, the sun and moon will be inside the Virgo constellation. Jupiter, which some believe represents the Messiah, will also appear to be in the constellations.

However, this alignment happens every 12 years, so it is not exactly rare in astronomical terms. What makes this time special is there is a planetary alignment, which means the apocalypse is coming. David Meade, the leader behind this theory, thinks that Nibiru will also appear in the sky and will cause destruction on earth.

All of this is bunk though. According to Space.com, Jupiter, the sun and the moon will be nowhere near the Virgo constellation on April 23. Jupiter will be in Libra all day and night on April 23, while the moon will be visible between Leo and Cancer.

Meade also predicted that the world would end on Sept. 23, 2017. Clearly, that did not happen.

The "Nibiru Apocalypse" conspiracy has been around for decades. Those who believe in it think there is a "Planet X" or "Nibiru" beyond Neptune's orbit. The idea is that Planet X's orbit will one day bring it crashing into the earth. However, as NASA points out, if there is a ninth planet, its orbit would not take it to earth. There could be a ninth planet that could create unique orbits for objects in the Kuiper Belt, but that is beyond Neptune.

"The possibility of a new planet is certainly an exciting one for me as a planetary scientist and for all of us," Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said in a statement. "This is not, however, the detection or discovery of a new planet. It's too early to say with certainty there's a so-called Planet X. What we're seeing is an early prediction based on modeling from limited observations. It's the start of a process that could lead to an exciting result."

Meade has stood by his claims. When the September apocalypse came and went, he changed the date of the apocalypse to October. When the world did not end then, he said it would happen in November. Once again, the world did not end.

Photo credit: Getty

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