1976: The British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth's own gravity. Moore told his listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment that this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation. When 9:47 AM arrived, BBC2 began to receive hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation. One woman even reported that she and her eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room.
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.

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I'm going to have to agree with Ian on this.
The woman who said she and her friends floated around the room was clearly just playing along with the joke.

I've never understood how someone can hear someone say something THAT absurd and think that it's a very stupid person being serious instead of a normal person joking.
Posted by David  in  Texas or New York, depending on the time of year.  on  Sat Apr 23, 2005  at  08:09 AM

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Brits dumb

That must be why those aliens never abduct us with their 'yoo-foes'.

Well, that and the fact that our arses aren't big enough to take the anal probes!
Posted by David B.  in  Reading, England.  on  Thu Jun 02, 2005  at  07:36 AM

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they floted because they believed it would work.
read The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot.
Posted by Ian  on  Wed Jul 06, 2005  at  03:12 PM

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Number One: It makes you look rather stupid if you criticize someone's spelling with misspellings in your own post. It's also a waste of time, and just because you can spell every word in the English language doesn't mean you're a genius. English is a stupid, confusing and illogical language anyway, no wonder so many people mess it up.
Number Two: Not all stupid people are from the same country. There are stupid people in Europe, and stupid people in America. Deal with it.
Number Three: This hoax isn't actually that implausible. Extraterrestrial bodies actually often do have an gravitational effect on earth. That's what tides are, after all. Granted it was a hoax, but the scientific principles are sound.
Posted by Lunch Meat  in  California  on  Sat Aug 13, 2005  at  01:51 PM

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I was that women
Posted by Bella  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  01:15 PM

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maybe the floatign lady realized that it was all a joke and was placing a joke as well...you people aren't extremely bright are you?

and your spellign mistakes are hilarious....mine are pretty funny too...
Posted by katie  on  Wed Mar 01, 2006  at  09:59 AM

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I think that the women who reported she and her friends floated around the room was making it up.
Posted by Sarah  in  Town Town  on  Sat Mar 04, 2006  at  09:35 AM

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"I think that the women who reported she and her friends floated around the room was making it up."

Wow, you're a genius. This whole time I thought it really happened. Not only are you a genius, but you are incredibly brave to take a bold (albeit unpopular) stand on such a controversial issue. Bravo.
Posted by Joe  on  Tue Mar 21, 2006  at  04:22 AM

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When I read this iI laughed so hard... To think that people would actually fall for such a hoax is hilarious!
Posted by Martha  in  School  on  Thu Mar 23, 2006  at  10:19 PM

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lol
Posted by WhyMe  in  YES  on  Fri Mar 24, 2006  at  03:57 PM

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It just goes to show how much information people retain from science class. How many light years are we from Pluto? Isn't there a Mark Twain story about a Connecticut Yankee that goes back to middle ages and uses an eclipse to trick the simple minded folk. Wow - not much has changed huh!
Posted by Summer  in  Stone Mountain, GA  on  Wed Mar 29, 2006  at  12:10 PM

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That's HILARIOUS! Shows what your mind does to you!!

I love April Fools
Posted by jemma  in  Wellington New Zealand  on  Fri Mar 31, 2006  at  04:28 PM

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hang on, i thought we 'brits' were generally labelled as intelligent! The general concensus in europe is that americans are not so bright. however, i feel this is unfair as is really based on your choice of political leader! peace
Posted by lou  in  cambridge  on  Fri Mar 31, 2006  at  04:49 PM

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this is the best hoax ever... :D
Posted by asdf  in  asdf  on  Fri Mar 31, 2006  at  08:13 PM

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Bunch of morons.
Posted by Alex  in  Timisoara  on  Sat Apr 01, 2006  at  06:16 AM

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Well, all of that is just fabulous. I feel so very much enlightened after reading this. And smarter than I've ever been before.
Posted by X  on  Sat Apr 01, 2006  at  07:15 PM

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"It just goes to show how much information people retain from science class. How many light years are we from Pluto?"

Well in response to that: we're 4.28 * 10^12 metres from Pluto, at minimum distance. Light travels at approximately 3* 10^8 m/s in a vacuum, which is what space is for all intents and purposes. So one simply divides the distance by the speed, and comes up with the answer 1.4267 * 10^4 seconds. Which is 14,267 seconds. So we divide that by (60^2 * 24 * 365.25) to get our distance in light years. Which is 4.521 * 10^-4. So if we're going to the nearest light year, we're actually no light years away from Pluto. Shows just how much information people retain from science lessons.
Posted by Comedy James  in  England and that  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  06:36 AM

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Although, it is rather far fetched. As I'm sure we all know gravitational force is the weakest of allthe forces; and Pluto being quite small and a reasonable distance away the effect on each of us being VERY small is negligible.

Having said that, Patrick Moore is an incredibly respected astronomer and the average Joe wouldn't have had any reason to doubt him. It's not all that far fetched that so many people would believe him. The same with Panorama's spaghetti trees.
Posted by Comedy James  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  06:43 AM

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The average joe probably doesn't know who Patrick Moore is, let alone why they should listen to anything he has to say...
Posted by hyc  on  Mon Apr 03, 2006  at  05:44 PM

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Patrick Moore is very famous in Britain, he has his own BBC TV show. Most people will have heard of him.
Posted by Comedy James  on  Mon Apr 03, 2006  at  05:47 PM

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