While the idea of a comet strike has been on the minds of many people in the past few months with the discovery of the comet Elenin and the subsequent high level of interest in it, it seems the Earth barely avoided a near catastrophe with a different comet a little under a century ago in 1833. And what’s more, they have the photograph to prove it. Originally hailed as the first UFO picture ever taken when it originally reached the public in 1833, the incredible picture is making headlines once again of a near-miss by a doomsday comet that never struck – and was never noticed until now.
The comet, which had an estimated force roughly equivalent to that which destroyed the dinosaurs, was recently revealed by astronomers working at National Autonomous University of Mexico, who say it was a near miss we should be paying closer attention to – in case another one like it makes a second appearance. The photograph, which shows an unidentified anomaly passing in front of the sun was originally published by astronomer Jose Banilla as a UFO. And it seems after all this time this UFO has finally become an IFO with some compelling conclusions.
The estimated size of the comet would have rivaled the one that originally struck Earth some eight million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs. But this near miss with a near extinction level event was overlooked at the time as a cabinet curiosity, something to be left to those who studied the paranormal mysteries of our universe such as extraterrestrial visitors, ESP, and ghosts. But the astronomical discovery was not lost on researchers who went beyond the looking glass and took into consideration the full impact of the object that missed us by only a few hundred miles. And while this might seem like a long distance here on Earth, in space a few hundred miles is a matter of only a fraction of a degree for a comet like the one photographed.
But there are some curious elements to this story as well. In addition to causing a brilliant display in the sky for astronomers, the comet should have produced meteor showers visible all over the globe for days, something severely lacking in the astronomers’ log books at the time. So while the claims are being refuted, skeptics of this theory find themselves in the uncommon position of actually proposing the alleged comet is indeed a UFO and not a known natural astronomical phenomenon – only compounding the strangeness of an already overwhelmingly strange story.
Was humanity almost wiped off the face of the Earth in the 1830’s? These claims will no doubt be investigated thoroughly in the coming months and even years. In the mean time, however, we must continue to look at the skies – no matter how unnerving it may be at times. And keep in mind the next UFO you see may actually be another near miss with a massive comet.