Why astronomers can't find Nibiru/Planet X

Part of the 2012 apocalyptic predictions revolve around the work of Zecharia Sitchin and his authorship of several books proposing that the late stone age/ early bronze age civilisation of Sumeria, one of the first human agrarian societies was created and influenced by an extra-terrestrial race called the Annunaki who came to Earth from a planet called Nibiru to mine the Earth for Gold which they needed to modify their atmosphere. Sitchin based his work on a self-taught ability to translate clay tablets in the Sumerian language and his interpretation of the Sumerian religious stories and art and revealed that the planet Nibiru, whilst being a solar system planet is on a highly elliptical orbit that brings it close to Earth ever 3600 years. There have been many refutations of the work Sitchin did, in terms of his translations, his understanding of science, particularly biology, and his literal interpretation of myths. However, as with many conspiracy theories there are elements that bear closer attention.

There is a school of astrophysics, and particularly the area of space exploration that suggests that one of the ways of overcoming the difficulties of deep space travel for biological entities is to utilise a modified planet or planetoid. One of the biggest difficulties faced by astronauts is overcoming the engineering challenges of the environment of space, the vacuum, the high levels of radiation, the heat differentials and the lack of gravity. By creating a space going vessel by hollowing out a rocky solar system body several of these problems are overcome. By leaving a thick crust, protection is naturally afforded to travellers from the effects of temperature and radiation. A rocky spherical body is ideally for generating artificial gravity by centrifugal force, imparting a spin to the body. The hollowed out core will provide ample space, not only for a large crew, but also for significant payload. The physics of trajectory are also made more easily calculable given that the movement of spheres within the solar system have been understood since Gallileo and Copernicus.

So, the idea of a civilisation travelling through space using a planet is a viable theory, but modern astronomical studies have shown no evidence of a planetary body on any orbit, elliptical or otherwise that we don't already know, but does this preclude the Nibiru story? Possibly not, if we look at the research into black holes and wormholes as a means of crossing vast interstellar distances we see some of the big issues being overcoming the forces found at the event horizon. There is a possibility that by utilising a natural body it may be the case that the occupants would be protected on a journey of this nature. So, if an alien civilization was to have visited Earth in the past, and was planning on returning, why not by utilising wormhole technology, and a spaceship created by hollowing out a planet? If it comes to that, there is a theory that suggests that the moon is hollow. Where better to install a teleportation system than within a hollowed out rocky body? We could very well be in for an interesting end to 2012. Only time will tell.