Jupiter Effect

Astronomers were aware that there would be a close alignment of the planets on March 10, 1982, when Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn would be on the same side of the Sun, within a 95 degree wide interval. In 1974, John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann published "The Jupiter Effect", a bestselling book that predicted that the alignment of the planets would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault on March 10 1982. The predicted catastrophes did not occur, as the gravitational effect of the other planets on the Earth's crust is minimal even at their closest approach. There had been an even closer alignment in the year 1128 without incident ["Facts on File 1982 Yearbook"] . However the book partially sidestepped 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.

There was some influence by the planets, with high tide calculated at 0.04 millimeters higher than normal ["Jupiter Effect Only For Partygoers," Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, March 11, 1982] . In April 1982, Gribbin and Plagemann published a lesser-selling book, "The Jupiter Effect Revisited", theorizing 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."

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