The gloom merchants are at it again. Remember Millennium Eve or last year's total eclipse when pessimists expected the end of the world?

Well how about this one: on or around May 5, 2000 (give or take a few days) Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Sun plus our moon will line up on one side of Earth creating major stress on Planet Earth.

Predictions range from a few earthquakes to major earth crust movement, polar ice-cap movement, sea levels rising 100-300 ft or more, tidal waves, high winds of 500 to 2,000mph, earthquakes so massive that Richter 13 or more could be possible, large areas of land under water, magnetic shift and much more.

Has this happened before? Yes, say some scientists. Remember the woolly mammoths found with fresh grass still in their mouth? This type of Earth change is what they believe happened to them. Could it happen again on May 5, 2000?

Do we wait until May 4 2000 to prepare?

Doom mongers say signs it has already begun include the increase in strange and severe weather. Take shelter, stock up with food, water and medical supplies, and be prepared for the worst.

Other experts say the Grand Alignment will be nothing to worry about because the tidal forces exerted on Earth from the five planets on the other side of the Sun are vastly smaller than those exerted by the Moon or Sun. Let's hope so.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.