Chaos cloud
Encyclopedia
The chaos cloud is a hoax that originated in a Weekly World News
article in September 2005. It was published online at Yahoo!
Entertainment News. According to the article, the chaos cloud is a massive object in outer space that "dissolves everything in its path, including comets, asteroids, planets and entire stars", and is due to reach Earth in 2014.
The hoax article generated a large amount of discussion online, as people attempted to discern whether or not it was genuine. Articles on the subject appeared at a diverse range of sites, such as Bad Astronomy, Whirlpool
, Free Republic
and Overclockers Australia. It has been debunked on Snopes and other urban legends sites.
Weekly World News
The Weekly World News was a supermarket tabloid published in the United States from 1979 to 2007, renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatural or paranormal themes and an approach to news that verged on the satirical. Its characteristic black-and-white covers have become...
article in September 2005. It was published online at Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Entertainment News. According to the article, the chaos cloud is a massive object in outer space that "dissolves everything in its path, including comets, asteroids, planets and entire stars", and is due to reach Earth in 2014.
The hoax article generated a large amount of discussion online, as people attempted to discern whether or not it was genuine. Articles on the subject appeared at a diverse range of sites, such as Bad Astronomy, Whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
, Free Republic
Free Republic
Free Republic is a moderated Internet forum for activists, and chat site for self-described conservatives, primarily within the United States. It presents articles and comments posted pseudonymously by registered members, known as "Freepers", using screen names...
and Overclockers Australia. It has been debunked on Snopes and other urban legends sites.