astronomers (and other related dudes) have known for many years that all the planets in our local solar system will be in a almost perfect line sometime on 5 May 2006 (or something). what effect does the focused gravitational fields of all the planets have on our own? the key concern among some people is that this effect could have a small impact on the location of earth's axis (researchers speculate (and have written books...) that this possible shift exposes a few hundred miles of antarctic ice to a much warmer environment, therby drastically changing sea levels and other environmental conditions (e.g. weather)). will everybody f**k**g die(asdjkfasd;)? or, worse, will everybody be fine?

-- Max Harris (adm@sal.mhasd.k12.wi.us), November 30, 1998

Answers

Yep. There will be gravitational effects if all the planets are in a line.

The tides will be higher (and lower), earthquakes may happen due to the tectonic shift, etc.

Here's my theory: yes, part of the polar ice caps will melt. And then, a few years later, they'll freeze back up. It's cold at the ends of the earth... well, maybe not the middle end. Think about it... the Himalayas, the Alps, Antarctica, Arctica, Canadia, etc.

If they don't freeze back up, no big deal. Lex Luthor will just have beachfront property instead of clifftop shoreline property. New York wasn't important anyway. Venice will get an enema (people have been flushing into the "streets" for ages), and the Rock of Gibraltar will become the home of a bar known as the Salty Pebble.

On the other hand, we would lose Japan; those deep dive submarines will all need reinforcement, and there might FINALLY be enough water to float Atlantis back up.

I guess what I'm saying is, if you're worried, evacuate now.

-- William (spqrspqr@hotmail.com), December 01, 1998.