ZetaTalk: Red Light
Note: Dated Jan 19, 2002 for sci.astro debates. Planet X and the 12th Planet are one and the same.

Just as electrons are not a single particle, but composed of some 387 particles, light is likewise not composed of a single particle, as hundreds of particles are involved in the phenomenon called light. This should be obvious to man, as light spreads into the colors of the rainbow, and as his scientists describe the behavior of red light as Red Shift, where no such behavior is ascribed to other colors in the light spectrum. How does this affect viewing the inbound Planet X, which emits light primarily in the red spectrum due to the cloud of red dust around it though which any light escaping from the planet must pass. Red light, and light close in the spectrum to red light, bends more readily than other particles in the light group. This can quickly be determined by the common man if he compares the rising and setting sun to other objects he sees in the sky.

The rising and setting sun are huge, compared to their appearance at mid-day. This is due to the light rays which have been bent and would otherwise escape to the side, being bent back by the atmosphere so they enter the viewers eye as though coming from a large orange sun. Do these rays not get bent in this manner at mid-day? They do, but there are several factors which make the phenomena apparent at dawn and dusk.

1. the angle between the viewer and the Sun at dawn and dusk are such that more atmosphere is passed through, thus more of bending of the red spectrum rays is done.
2. competition from other light rays is reduced so the red spectrum rays are predominant, and the eye thus registers them rather and having them drown out and supplanted by a different image.
3. at mid-day, when the Sun is overhead, red spectrum light from the Sun is bent to the side so that any reaching the eye of the viewer seems to be coming from another object, not the Sun, and is thus discounted.

Thus, in viewing Planet X, especially when the inbound planet is faint and small due to being at a distance, viewing is best when the spot in the sky is at either horizon, not overhead. Like the rising or setting sun, allowing the red spectrum light to pass at an angle through the atmosphere, thus passing through more atmosphere, makes Planet X seem larger, too. Light rays in the red spectrum that are bending to the side as they approach Earth are bent back, thus seeming to come from the side of Planet X, an illusion that makes it seem larger. Viewing Planet X from a distance is also affected by red light being bent by other factors in the solar system, and thus the RA and Dec given seem to vary in an irrational manner. We give coordinates that will best allow man to locate this red planet, as depending on:

• the viewers location on Earth, as to latitude, as distance from the equator affects the thickness of the atmosphere pooled at the equator and also is affected by factors in the solar system to the north or south, which can differ.
• the time of night when they are seeking a peek or to take an image, thus affecting the amount of atmosphere red light must pass through as it will be either traveling through more atmosphere if at an angle or less if overhead.
• competition from other light sources, so that the normal requirement to seek to view on a dark, clear night and eliminate light scatter from cloud cover or pollution or nearby city lights applies in viewing Planet X to a greater degree, as red light can more easily be bend and become something other to the eye or camera than what it would be if registered as coming from the source.

The advise for those seeking a peek are to look around the spot given, filtering only for light in the red spectrum, in particular infrared, and comparing what they see against established and published star charts. The RA and Dec given are close enough that this practice will bring success, and giving specialized coordinates to this and that viewer, for this or that day, will not much improve this effort as so many other factors are at play. Thus, we will cease the practice of giving special coordinates from this date forward, as the viewing public is going to increase in numbers during 2002 and these requests will overwhelm an already exhausted Nancy. Follow the guidelines given, and spend your efforts there, rather than making demands of Nancy.

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