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Oct 17 Sunrise Rumor Debunked
Today I received a text message from an old pal and this is what it says:
“Coming October 17, 2008 the sun will rise continuously for 36 hrs (1.5 days). During this time the US countries will be dark for 1.5 days.
It will convert 3 days into 2 big days. It will happen once in 2400 yrs. We're very lucky to see this. So don't miss it. –Courtesy of CNN/BBC News”
Sometime last week another friend also asked me if I’ve heard of this news. It was the first time I’ve heard of such so I tried to research it but didn’t find any coming CNN or BBC. Since tomorrow is the 17th of October I decided to write an entry about this. Sorry to disappoint you guys but this is hoax. False. Untrue. (Just like any other chain letters or emails.) I don’t know who started this faulty report but isn’t it funny how a lot of people spend so much time spreading it?
This online rumor actually started circulating sometime last August. David Emery, of About.com, wrote an entry last 15th of September debunking that “During a one-month period from mid-August to mid-September 2008, over 15,000 postings containing the phrase ‘the sun will rise continuously for 36 hours’ appeared on the Internet.”
As we all know the sun does “rise” continuously. We only perceive it as setting because the earth, while rotating on its own axis, revolves around the sun. The sun does not really (literally) stop rising or slow its speed of setting. So for such 36 hours sunrise phenomenon to happen, the earth would actually have to stop revolving and rotating on its orbit. And guess what, that has never happened and will never happen.
So for you out there waiting for that supposed 1.5 days of sunrise or 1.5 days of darkness, you can continue to live your normal life and go on with your daily activities since no such report will occur.
“Coming October 17, 2008 the sun will rise continuously for 36 hrs (1.5 days). During this time the US countries will be dark for 1.5 days.
It will convert 3 days into 2 big days. It will happen once in 2400 yrs. We're very lucky to see this. So don't miss it. –Courtesy of CNN/BBC News”
Sometime last week another friend also asked me if I’ve heard of this news. It was the first time I’ve heard of such so I tried to research it but didn’t find any coming CNN or BBC. Since tomorrow is the 17th of October I decided to write an entry about this. Sorry to disappoint you guys but this is hoax. False. Untrue. (Just like any other chain letters or emails.) I don’t know who started this faulty report but isn’t it funny how a lot of people spend so much time spreading it?
This online rumor actually started circulating sometime last August. David Emery, of About.com, wrote an entry last 15th of September debunking that “During a one-month period from mid-August to mid-September 2008, over 15,000 postings containing the phrase ‘the sun will rise continuously for 36 hours’ appeared on the Internet.”
As we all know the sun does “rise” continuously. We only perceive it as setting because the earth, while rotating on its own axis, revolves around the sun. The sun does not really (literally) stop rising or slow its speed of setting. So for such 36 hours sunrise phenomenon to happen, the earth would actually have to stop revolving and rotating on its orbit. And guess what, that has never happened and will never happen.
So for you out there waiting for that supposed 1.5 days of sunrise or 1.5 days of darkness, you can continue to live your normal life and go on with your daily activities since no such report will occur.
