Astronomical bodies in pseudoscience and the paranormal
 | It has been suggested that Planetary objects proposed in religion, astrology, ufology and pseudoscience be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2017. |
Paranormal and pseudoscientific claims regarding astronomical bodies involve both bodies recognized by the scientific community and those known only from the claims themselves. A wide variety of movements are represented among those claiming knowledge regarding astronomical bodies gained through nonscientific means. These include astrologers, alien abductees, alien contactees, New Age practitioners UFO religions and more. The types of astronomical bodies discussed by pseudoscientists and paranormal claimants run the gamut from planets to stars, constellation, and galaxies. Many of these claims contradict scientific findings in spectacular ways or show influence from science fiction.
Solar system[edit]
Unrecognized planets[edit]
Stars and constellations[edit]
Pleiades[edit]
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters (Messier object 45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. Various pseudoscientific claims have been made about this star cluster. Erich von Daniken alleged that intelligent extraterrestrials traveled from the Pleiades to earth and were worshipped by the Inca as gods.[1]
Eduard "Billy" Meier also claims to have had many contacts with extraterrestrial humanoids originating in the Pleiades star cluster.
Zeta Reticuli[edit]
Betty and Barney Hill were an American married couple who claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials on September 19–20, 1961. While on board the alien craft, the Hills claim they were subjected to a medical examination. Betty said that when she asked where their abductors were from one showed her a star map, which she later attempted to reproduce. In 1968, Marjorie Fish of Oak Harbor, Ohio read John G. Fuller's Interrupted Journey, a best-selling book on the abduction claim. She was an elementary school teacher and amateur astronomer. Intrigued by the "star map", Fish wondered if it might be "deciphered" to determine which star system the UFO came from.
Assuming that one of the fifteen stars on the map must represent the Earth's sun, Fish constructed a 3-dimensional model of nearby sun-like stars using thread and beads, basing stellar distances on those published in the 1969 Gliese Star Catalog. Studying thousands of vantage points over several years, the only one that seemed to match the Hill map was from the viewpoint of the double star system of Zeta Reticuli. Therefore, she concluded that the UFO might have come from a planet orbiting Zeta Reticuli.
As a result of Fish's hypothesis, some have dubbed the Hills' account The Zeta Reticuli Incident. Most Ufologists, however, continue to prefer the Hill Abduction or some similar term.
Distance information needed to match three stars, forming the distinctive triangle Hill said she remembered, was not generally available until the 1969 Gliese Catalog came out. Fish also was the first to note that all the stars on the map connected by lines (which Betty Hill said she was told were trade or frequently-traveled routes) fell in a plane, with Zeta Reticuli acting as a hub. Thus the displayed routes would be the most logical and efficient way of exploring the nearby stellar neighborhood for a civilization located in Zeta Reticuli. These points played critical roles in the subsequent debates over the validity of the Fish match to the Hill map.
Fish sent her analysis to Webb. Agreeing with her conclusions, Webb sent the map to Terence Dickinson, editor of the popular magazine Astronomy. Dickinson did not endorse Fish and Webb's conclusions, but he was intrigued, and, for the first time in the journal's history, Astronomy invited comments and debate on a UFO report, starting with an opening article in the December 1974 issue. For about a year afterward, the opinions page of Astronomy carried arguments for and against Fish's star map. Notable was an argument made by Carl Sagan and Stephen Soter,[2] arguing that the seeming "star map" was little more than a random alignment of chance points. In contrast, those more favorable to the map, such as David Saunders, a statistician who had been on the Condon UFO study, argued that unusual alignment of key sun-like stars in a plane centered around Zeta Reticuli (first described by Fish) was statistically improbable to have happened by chance from a random group of stars in our immediate neighborhood.[3][4]
Skeptic Robert Sheaffer in an accompanying article said that a map devised by Charles W. Atterberg, about the same time as Fish, was an even better match to Hill's map and made more sense. The base stars, Epsilon Indi and Epsilon Eridani, plus the others were also closer to the sun than the Hill map. Fish counterargued that the base stars in the Atterberg map were considered much less likely to harbor life than Zeta Reticuli and the map lacked a consistent grouping of sun-like stars along the lined routes.
Extrasolar planets[edit]
Unrecognized extrasolar planets[edit]
The following is a list of alleged extrasolar planets not proposed or verified by researchers doing mainstream science.
| Name | Claimant(s) | Location | Notable inhabitants | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anzea[5] |
Second spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
Unarians believe that Anzea has an artificially constructed orbital manned space station built for scientific research and the planet's inhabitants are alleged to travel the galaxy in spaceships along energy beams.[5] The Anzeans operate a "power tower" which is claimed to rejuvenate the bodies and extend the lifespan of the world's inhabitants.[5] The UAS claims that in a past life Uriel (then incarnated as Ioshanna) linked the energies of Anzea with those of the (also scientifically unverified) planet Eros using her wand and crown.[5] The result was said to be the spiritual revitalization of the planet, and event for which the planet's "Polarity," Zena, had waited for 1,000 years.[5] | |
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Aries[7] |
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Ballium[5] |
First spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
The UAS claims that the scientifically unverified planet Ballium was once populated by a population of two million Borg-like cyborgs that were controlled by a single electronic device.[5] When the device short circuited their culture is said to have gone into a 500-year period of atrophy and their population was greatly reduced. Uriel is believed to have contacted the planet's "Polarity," Tal, and upon discovering the Balliumites' situation, traveled to the planet and unplugged the malfunctioning device.[5] The Balliumites are supposedly involved in the arduous task of reawakening their spiritualities, according to Unarian teachings.[5] | |
|
Basis[8] |
Sixth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
The UAS claims that their founder, Ernest Norman, brought Unarian teachings to this scientifically unverified planet during a past life as the extraterrestrial scientist Lumus.[5] Further, Unarians believe that the inhabitants of Basis lost the spirit of Unarian teachings and built a "bland" technological society where machines performed every task.[8] Thousands of years later, Uriel made contact with Tyronus, the mute "Polarity" of the planet, who had never previously spoken.[8] After this contact Tyronus devised a new education system focused on personal development. Some citizens of Basis are alleged to have become Unarian subchannels.[9] Unarian myths further describe the society as moving in a positive direction emphasizing communal living and shared decision making.[9] | |
|
Brundage[9] |
Fourth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
Unarians believe that when Uriel first contacted this scientifically unverified world, the "Polarity," Lum, had been imprisoned underground by "various factions of spaceship worshippers."[9] Uriel's contact attempt was said to have reached a robot named Nur.[9] At Uriel's command, the myth goes, Nur freed Lum.[9] Now the inhabitants of Brundage are believed to be working on a new city built around a massive clean energy generator which will beam "spiritual energy" to all of the people on the planet.[9] | |
|
Coltice |
||||
|
Dal[10] |
First spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
Unarians believe that the scientifically unverified Dal is inhabited by an advanced civilization of blue skinned telepaths. Their technology is similar to that the purported inhabitants of Mars are alleged to have. Unarians believe this civilization is capable of interplanetary communication and extending their own lifespan "electronically." Their peaceful, unified world hadn't seen war for 100,000 years and their society so prosperous that no one's needs went unmet, according to Unarian myth. Unarian techings report that despite its high level of technology and prosperity, Dal lacked "a spiritually integrated education system" which changed when Uriel revealed herself to "Polarity" Analus in the form of a brilliant sun. | |
|
Delna[11] |
First spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
Unarians believe that the unrecognized planet Delna exists on the first spiral arm of the galaxy. Its name is alleged to mean "land of the everlasting." Unarian myth relates that Delna was visited by an intelligent being named Shana who brought the Unarian "science" to the Delnian people. The UAS further claims that the Delnian people eventually lost touch with the "science." At that time, the world's chief scientist, Nadnee, built a great technological city with a cone shaped tower that powered the world's mechanical devices. Because the technology they used "lacked any spiritual purpose," the Delnians ended up imprisoned by their own creations in a deep sleep. Unarians believe that the Delnian people were saved by being uplifted with the poetry of Ernest Norman while they slept and were "taken through the Flames of the Higher Worlds." After being freed, the Delnians were cared for by the planet's Polarity, Nadnee. | |
|
Deva[11] |
First spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
The UAS claims that the people of the planet Deva used simple technology to communicate between planets but had lost the teachings of the Unarian science. Unarian myth tells that the Polarity of Deva, Rana, had been reincarnating on the planet for thousands of years. She gave guidance to the people, but stunted their spiritual development by allowing them to worship her as a goddess. Only her clergy were permitted to use the planet's power tower. The resulting negative energy kept the people of Deva "fearful and ignorant." Unarians believe that Ruth Norman emanated a healing projection in the form of an image of herself as two pyramids connected by an arc of blue light. This accomplished the salvation of the populace and "the whole society improved in every way imaginable." | |
|
Din[11] |
Sixth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
Unarians believe that the unrecognized planet Din lies ear the center of the galaxy. It is characterized by being "the most mentally obsessed planet in the universe." Its culture was split into many competing "'I AM' cults." The planet's polarity, Lebra, received assistance from Ruth Norman to "break the spell of 'mantra muttering'." Norman channeled the love of the Space Brothers by "reconnecting Din with the energies of the planet Eros." Din's power tower is known as "the Projectile." | |
|
Dollium[11] |
Fourth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
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||
|
Earth (II)[12] |
Seventh spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
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|
El[12] |
Fifth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
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|
Elysium |
||||
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Emil[12] |
Second spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|||
|
Endinite[12] |
Second spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
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|
Eneshia[13] |
First spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|||
|
Eros |
||||
|
Farris[13] |
Third spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Glenus[13] |
Sixth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Idonus[13] |
Fifth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Jena[13] |
Second spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Kallium[13] |
Fifth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Near the throne of God,[14] but other locations have been proposed by Mormon apologists.[15] |
Traditionally regarded as a star, some Mormon commentators have understood it to be a planet. | |||
|
Lemuria |
||||
|
Luminus[16] |
Seventh spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
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|
Muse |
||||
|
Myton |
|
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|
Nostra |
||||
|
Orion |
Celestial planet | |||
|
Orion |
|
Terrestrial planet. | ||
|
Osnus[17] |
Fourth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Po[17] |
Third spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Rey[17] |
Fourth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
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|
Rizq[18] |
||||
|
Serena[17] |
Third spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
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|
Severus[19] |
Seventh spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Shunan[20] |
Sixth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Sixtus[20] |
Sixth spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
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|
Tyron |
||||
|
Unarius |
||||
|
Valneza[20] |
Second spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
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|
Vidus[20] |
Third spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Vixall[21] |
Seventh spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|||
|
Vulna[22] |
Seventh spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Yessu[22] |
Seventh spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
Zeton[22] |
Third spiral arm of the galaxy.[6] |
|
||
|
ZX 432 |
See also[edit]
- Planetary objects proposed in religion, astrology, ufology and pseudoscience
- Religious cosmology
- Stars proposed in religion
Notes[edit]
- ↑ "Erich von Daniken," Reece (2007), page 173.
- ↑ see Clark, 1998
- ↑ Adam. "The Zeta Reticuli Incident". www.nicap.org. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ↑ "ZETA RETICULI INCIDENT". www.gravitywarpdrive.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 173.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 6.29 6.30 6.31 6.32 "Star Map," Tumminia (2005), page 174.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Supercelestial Planets," Tumminia (2005), page 71.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), pages 173-174.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 174.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), pages 174-175.
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 175.
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 176.
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 177.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Abraham 3:2-3.
- ↑ Gee, John; Hamblin, William J.; Peterson, Daniel C. (2006), "And I Saw the Stars—The Book of Abraham and Ancient Geocentric Astronomy", in Gee, John; Hauglid, Brian M., Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant (1st ed.), Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, p. 161, ISBN 0-934893-76-4.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), pages 177-178.
- ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 178.
- ↑ "The Nuwaubian Nation of Moors," Reece (2007), pages 192-193.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), pages 178-179.
- ↑ 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 179.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), pages 179-180.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 "Appendix II: Stories of the Planets in the Interplanetary Confederation," Tumminia (2005), page 180.
References[edit]
- Clark, Jerome, The UFO Book: Encyclopedia of the Extraterrestrial (Visible Ink, 1998)
- Reece, Gregory L. (August 21, 2007). UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture. I. B. Tauris. p. 213. ISBN 1-84511-451-5. Search this book on
- Tumminia, Diana G. When Prophecy Never Fails: Myth and Reality in a Flying-Saucer Group. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, 240 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-517675-9 Search this book on .
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