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From: nather@utastro.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.astro.expert
Subject: Re: Sol's dark sister?
Message-ID: <19@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-May-84 17:38:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.19
Posted: Wed May 23 17:38:57 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 30-May-84 08:29:12 EDT
References: <1906@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 22

[]
Apparently you are referring to the "Death Star" theory (*not* the
AT&T logo :-) whereby an orbital companion to the sun, dim enough
so Clyde Tombaugh wouldn't have found it while searching for Pluto,
perturbs the mythical "Oort Cloud" of comets as it wanders by, causing
comets to drop on the earth & wipe out dinosaurs.  It seems to be the
rage now, since there hasn't been an earthbreaker theory since the DOD
got worried about the Russians tickling an asteroid out of orbit and
aiming it at Cleveland.

It assumes: 1) The presence of the Oort cloud; 2)The presence of the
postulated "death star"; 3) The reality of the periodicities uncovered
in the distribution of earth-crater ages; 4) The total lack of noise
in the data subjected to FFT analysis.

If you are convinced by this, I've got some property in Florida ...

-- 

                                       Ed Nather
                                       ihnp4!{ut-sally,kpno}!utastro!nather
                                       Astronomy Dept., U. of Texas, Austin