Mercury Transit a Biblical Apocalypse? NASA Suggests Hoax

The crossing of Mercury in front of the sun, called the Mercury transit, was witnessed by the world last May 9. But right after the celestial show, the internet was flooded about prophecies claiming that the transit is a sign of a biblical aplocalypse. It got so intense that NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Twitter pages, @asteroidwatch, just had to speak up and to put a stop to the conspiracy theories saying it's a 'hoax'.

Mercury transit occurs 13 times every century, the last transit happened in 2006. Some alleged religious groups including the Youtube Channel called The Prophetico as a sign of a Biblical apocalypse, as stated in a report by the Huffington Post.

These groups even released videos of the alleged astronomical anomalies, gaining more than 110,000 views as of May 11. The channel linked the new moon and supermoon cycle with the transit, saying this movement of celestial bodies could mean end of the world.

An analysis of the planet's positions has also been given thought at how it could lead to Armageddon.

"The moon itself has been turned into a sickle, so literally turning Orion's club into a mace as he strikes the lion's whelp along the cheek during the transit" said the channel.

They also said that a celestial body could be knocked off of its orbit which will then disrupt the natural movement of moons and planets in the solar system.

"If not now could we witness a massive impact that knocks it out of orbit altogether?" they added.

Sadly the video from the Youtube channel was highly sensationalized, appearing in social media and various internet sites. Express UK initiated a survey to find out how many people actually believe in the Armageddon fiasco.

But NASA was quick to reassure the public that there's no Armageddon or doom's day looming. NASA's JPL and one of its official Twitter handles, @asteroidwatch, cannot hold their silence any longer. That's why when asked about the "Biblical prophecy" the agency promptly replied "Sounds like another hoax. Mercury transits take place about 13 times each century. Last one was 2006".

In today's day and age, science has proven to be of great help to mankind. And when in doubt, before believing in conspiracies, one should resort to critical thinking and factual resources before even considering some false truth.