What is CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and why are people saying it could end the world today, July 5?
With its third experiment in 10 years, CERN hopes to shed new light on dark matter, but most think its something far more sinister.
As the moment when CERN restarts the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) approaches, there have been reports of many people the world over who are fearing that it may spark the end of the world, but where did such an idea come from? Let’s take a look.
Why do people believe CERN’s LHC will end the world?
As is the case with many things today, it all starts with rumors shared on social media. The July 5th ignition of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is no different, as a fake report which detailed an alleged black hole accident recently made the rounds. It didn’t take long before many were convinced that on July 5th when CERN turns on their collider, the world would witness either the creation of a black hole or the opening of a portal to another dimension. Indeed, some went as far as to suggest that the world would come to an abrupt end all together.
What’s the real deal with CERN’s LHC?
Although the doom and gloom of current world affairs is more than enough to make you think that we’re living during the ‘end of days,’ the reality is the rumors surrounding the apparent death machine that CERN is about to turn on are completely false. Many will of course point to the fact that the machine hasn’t been turned on since 2018 when CERN shut it down, but according to the company itself it was simply a matter of maintenance. That’s right, as much as it pains us to say it, there won’t be any planetary implosion or alien life forms streaming out of a porta, as CERN prepares to initiate its third trial of the machine. Though countless folk will point to a social media post - since removed - which seemed to indicate that CERN apologized for ending the world in 2012, such talk has - we said it before - proven to be untrue. To be clear at no point has CERN given any statement regarding an accident, but that hasn’t stopped users on social media from imagining the worst.
As for what CERN is actually doing, Andreas Hoecker, spokesperson of CERN’s ATLAS collaboration states on their website that “scientists will study the properties of matter under extreme temperature and density. ...We will measure the strengths of the Higgs boson interactions with matter and force particles to unprecedented precision, and we will further our searches for Higgs boson decays to dark matter particles as well as searches for additional Higgs bosons.” Doesn’t sound apocalyptic at all.
Yes, you can watch CERN turn on the Large Hadron Collider
In case you’re wondering, CERN will actually be broadcasting the event live on July 5th. That means you can sit and watch their exploration of matter OR the possible end of the world from the comfort of your own home. For even greater convenience you’ve got a choice between YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and even Facebook, so take your pick and enjoy!