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Subscribe to RSSA NASA video explains why "The World Didn't End Yesterday" ... more than a week before the date that's been hyped as a purported doomsday.
NASA's latest video debunking doomsday hype comes from the future — to be precise, from Dec. 22, one day after the expected peak for worries that the end of an ancient Maya calendar cycle will signal the end of the world as well. Some might think that the video, titled "The World Didn't End Yesterday," was prematurely released. But it wasn't: The advance word about the non-apocalypse is a key part of the space agency's plan.
"The teaser for the video explains everything: 'NASA is so confident that the world is not coming to an end on Dec. 21, that they have already released a video for the day after,'" Tony Phillips, the writer and editor behind the NASA Science website as well as SpaceWeather.com, told NBC News in an email.
Phillips says the "day after" angle was his idea.
"I felt it was a lighter and more creative way to approach the topic than some of the other treatments we've seen," he wrote. "Some people have been confused by it, but not all. The unorthodox approach is definitely a conversation-starter, which was our goal all along."
Bashing the bunkum
As the 12-21-12 date approaches, NASA has been taking the lead in telling people that the connection between the Maya calendar and doomsday fears is pure bunkum. By some accounts, a grand 5,125-year cycle comes to an end on Dec. 21, but this year, archaeologists found that the Maya calendar counting system goes beyond 2012, just as our own calendar recycles itself after Dec. 31. For what it's worth, there's even some question whether Dec. 21 is the right date for the Maya calendar turnover.
INAH
The Maya "Long Count" calendar and its connection to 2012 has long been a topic of controversy.
Along the way, the Maya hype has gotten mixed up with other end-of-the-world memes, ranging from monster solar storms to the onset of a threatening Planet X. There's a germ of truth behind some of the memes. For example, the sun really is heading toward the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, but solar maximum won't cause the end of the world. In fact, Phillips has said the upcoming solar max could be "the weakest of the Space Age." Meanwhile, our planet is indeed heading toward a rough alignment with the sun and the galactic center on Dec. 21 — but that alignment happens every year at this time, due to the winter solstice.
NASA has been spending a lot of time lately separating the scientific fact from the scary fiction. Last month, the space agency put together a Web page that addresses the frequently asked questions about the 2012 hype, with links to even more information about topics ranging from polar shifts to supernovae and super volcanoes. This may sound like overkill, but it's not: Earlier this year, an international opinion survey conducted by Ipsos for Reuters found that 14 percent of the respondents believe the world will come to an end during their lifetime — and 10 percent said they were worried that the Maya calendar change-over would mark the end of the world.
What to tell your kids
All this doomsday hype can be particularly troubling for kids, who tend to look to the grown-ups for a reality check. Do your children need some reassurance? These tips from Kids.gov, the U.S. government's Web portal for the younger set, could come in handy:
- Take their fears seriously. Dismissing a fear with a quick "don't be silly comment" or brushing it aside by telling them not to worry is not going to help. If your children express a fear, take time to sit down and discuss it. This sends the message that you are really listening and that your kids can always come to you and they will be taken seriously.
- Educate yourself about the topic of their fears. This allows you to speak confidently about the subject and give you the facts when discussing a rumor.
- Help your child research the rumor. If your child heard the rumor at school or saw something scary on the Internet, sit down with him at the computer and help him to conduct his own research. Discuss the importance of finding credible sources for information and guide him to legitimate, authoritative resources.
- Take the fear off their plate. For younger children, sit down to discuss the child's fear and then tell them, "OK, from now on I will worry about this for you. You don’t have to worry about this anymore. I’ll look into it and I will let you know what I find out." Make sure to check back with your child once you have researched the topic. Anticipate any questions he may have and plan your responses.
Do you still have concerns about Dec. 21? Are you hearing the Maya hype from your friends? How are you handling all this? Feel free to weigh in with your comments below, and check back next week for our continuing coverage of the doomsday buzz. In the meantime, review our coverage of last year's Rapture rigmarole to get an advance look at how this is all likely to go down.
More about 2012:
- Stressed by storms? Don't panic
- Countdown to a non-doomsday
- 2012 and the Maya: What were they thinking?
- Serbian mountain draws the doomsday crowd
- Video: End of the world? Head to France
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
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The Mayans didn't predict their own doom at the hands of a people they had no idea existed... what gives them special insight into this?
Actually I think they did? I'd have to look it up
Just to be on the safe side I'm leaving my Christmas shopping till December 22. Why hassle with the crowds if you don't have to. Oh wait. If I did my shopping December 22 I'd be doing it early. Never mind.
I find disturbing that NASA even needs to debunk this, like it is at all serous.
Pragmatic, just FYI, the Mayan culture that created the calendar collapsed around 900 AD, so the Spaniards had nothing to do with their doom..please learn the difference between the Mayans and the Aztecs, thanks..
Once again the Wikipedia based posts (Wikipedia Disclaimer of Validity).
First the Mayans were NOT completely wiped out, their cities and major population concentrations were. Second, the Spanish Conquistadors that settled in what is now Mexico, and parts of South and Central Americas did outlaw under penalty of being burned at the stake the Mayans from practicing their Culture (this is why successful modern day Treasure Hunters search for previous Spanish Settlements and Colonies and the routes of Spanish Galleons). The Spanish Conquistadors may not have wiped out the Mayans but they darn sure made sure they never practiced their language or Mayan Culture. Third, in recent years the Mexican Government finally allowed (lifted restrictions, repealed laws against) the Mayans to open Mayan Cultural Schools. Fourth, what the Mayans created were Almanacs (weather forecasts, tide tables, planting charts, astronomical data, cycles, etc.) based on observations NOT just Calendars nor based on "Religion".
And does it really matter if the Mayans were right or wrong, what if there is a Earth Ending Event beyond the current Human capabilites to stop, what are you going to do. By the way the Mayans indicated cycles of destruction, and renewal not complete destruction.
The world for Republicans ends on Dec 21 when Obama signs the bill that raises taxes on the wealthy and doesn't touch entitlements. Boehner loses his Speaker position on Jan 03 when the right-wing crazies vote him out for compromising what's best for "we the people" vice the GOP
David, your reply was ALMOST impressive, but ultimately flawed on two points:
1. No, it doesn't matter if the Mayans were "right or wrong", because there is no "prediction" about which to be right or wrong. The whole thing is a new-age misapprehension.
2.The calendars, incorporating tide charts, lunar and solar cycles, planting cycles etc.. were indeed quite based in religion. It was all wrapped up in a comprehensive socio-religious culture.
Hence, your pseudo-intellectual snarkery about wiki is not convincing.
I'm always amazed at peoples ability to turn something totally unrelated into another dumbassed political attack. I guess I shouldn't be.
Anyone who took this seriously should get a mental health evaluation. Home Depot and Lowes are probably doing pretty well thanks to all those "doomsday prepper" tin foil hat crazies out there.
So glad the calendar games are over this year. No 13th or 31st month, so it should be another 88 years until we see anything this utterly stupid again.
When NASA can get a manned spacecraft beyond the Van Alen Radiation Belts I will begin to listen to what they say. Not until NASA tells the truth about NOT going to the moon will I going to listen to anything they say.
Got my new Nikes to wear on that date...Whoooowhoooo!
And what did my last sentence of post#1.5 state, "By the way the Mayans indicated cycles of destruction, and renewal not complete destruction."
Prove that "comprehensive socio-religious culture". And do not confuse the Mayans with the Aztecs or Incas. How about this go ask the Mayans (at Mexico), next you are going to say that their scientific observations to create the Almanacs was science as a religion.
You cannot defend stup!d, ok, you can if you are. You cannot have it both ways, saying Wikipedia is an Accurate Source and Factual then saying that the Wikipedia Disclaimer is NOT Accurate nor Factual:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer
Most people are smart enough to read the label of contents or ingredients and product warnings, unlike you NoPrudes and your failed attempts to denigrate my post.
STOP BEING SO LAZY, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, INSTEAD OF BEING SPOONFED THE RESULTS OF SOMEONE ELSE'S RESEARCH AND OR OPINONS.
Hey! Even if it's not the end of the world, it's good to be prepared for a disaster. Remember to rotate your food stocks.
I wonder why people get so worked up by this. This is the bottom line. Earth changing events have happened in the past, and will happen again. It is just a matter of when. Yellowstone could go tomorrow, or 100,000 years from now.
This date has been kind of fun to mess with, and everybody has learned a little bit more of history than they otherwise may not have.
Not that I actually believe the world would end soon, but is it not the governments job to lie and keep us complacent until the endgame? Just think of what next week and a half would be like if NASA said, "The Worlds going to end".
Ohh great, its going to happen now, since they already put out this video..
The bad part is news agencies-especially MSNBC and Fox as well as others-keep trying to hype that the Mayans predicted the end of the earth. The truth is they did NOT say anything about the earth or world ending.
According to a special I saw on TV on the Mayan calender and the relation to 2012, the reason why people though the world would end is because the calendar was thought to end on December 21, 2012. But later, they found a new section of the Mayan calendar that went far beyond that. Also, the end of a cycle for the Maya supposedly does not mean the end of the world but the beginning of a period of great change. And it must be true because it was on TV. I mean it makes more sense then a doomsday prophecy, that's for sure.
The linguists who deciphered the Mayan code were very impressive. There were still Mayans who spoke their language, so that it was easier to match words and ideas to pictograms. This was done by a group at Yale University in the late 1960s, all before computers were in wide use. The task was much harder because there was no "Rosetta Stone" to work by. It was revealed that these were people that should be respected, not destroyed.
There were several cultures that had very impressive calendars or standing stones and buildings that would show solstices, equinoxes, and sometimes positions of the moon. There are some in the continental United States. Some think that there are artifacts in Ohio that look like some of the Mexican native cultures. These ancient cultures are so old that they date back to a time when Europe was still in the stone age as well; the area that is now the U.S. had Clovis point spears, probably sharper than were across the ocean. The Smithsonian Magazine shows some of those spear points.
Maybe what we should be celebrating is the heritage that all of us have from distant ancestors that sparked learning about the sun, moon, and stars, and we should celebrate the knowledge we now have about the universe. Sure there could be some disaster at any time, but we can create our own self-destruction many times over through wars and greed. Humanity should learn to respect others and all life.
Well, debunking aside, I plan to sell tinfoil hats to the public, on eBay and Craigslist starting this weekend. This way I can make some good money until our final moments (cough, cough... ahem) and provide a public service to boot.
God of Fate
We went to Tulum, a Mayan city in Mexico early this year. The Mayan guide said the same thing; it is nothing more than a new calender to them, just like we see every January 1.
All I know is the dog and cat stopped talking to me last week and whenever they are talking among themselves I keep hearing about "the big feast".... If they see me listening they clam up and leave the room..
Hey, anyone want to buy a couple of bridges?
I find this article hilarious. That bit about parents sitting down with their children at the computer and helping them research... On this island, Earth, there are exactly three and a half (one parent is divorced) sets of parents who know more about the computer than their children.
Well, I'm not taking any chances. I'm putting a fresh battery in the smoke detector!
;-)
DEAR NASA: I would take your prediction 'a whole heck of a lot more serious' if you would have predicted that very large asteroid that flew close to earth on Dec 12th this year ( or was it the 11th...depending on what side of the Earth you were on?)
Yes, I know it was only about 3-4 miles wide and really the one that outdid the dinosaurs was six miles wide..... BUT ya think you can get on it?
So your tongue in cheek mockery of the Mayan Apocalypse ( I can't believe I just typed those two words together) might be a little more funny if you had your act together. Now go out there and figure how to save the Earth from those sneaky asteroids, or send a woman to the moon, or colonize Mars,,,,whatever , just quit wasting my tax dollars.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/newly-discovered-small-asteroid-just-misses-colliding-with-earth-next-up-is-much-bigger-121212-asteroid/2012/12/11/51048aae-43a4-11e2-9648-a2c323a991d6_blog.html
Amen, michelle123abc. I cannot imagine a reason why any element of the scientific community is taking this purported disaster seriously.
If such an event is impending on the 21st of this month, the proofs can only reside in the realm of the mystical, and everybody who wishes to is welcome to speculate about any manner of divine intervention or retribution which suits their fancy.
So, I'm not taking any particular note of Dec. 21, except that I have that day off, and will probably sleep late.
Hope I don't miss anything ...like the end of the world.
Dave, thanks for the chuckle. Anybody in dire need of a laugh should read post 1.22 (above).
I am hoping that was snark, because otherwise, looks about the same as that famous tebagger sign "Keep Govt. out of my Medicare"
Soooo.....when is the NASA budget EVER wasted if its about discovery?
Man, you guys need to lighten up. Speaking of irony, my mother-in-law has to get surgery on the 21st, she's not too pleased about it.
You need to reread the article you linked to about that asteroid. The one that they discovered only a few days ago was estimated at around 100 ft. across -- enough to cause local damage, but no planet-killer. The larger 3-4 mile-wide asteroid has been known and tracked for years; in fact, it passes close to the earth every few years on a predictable cycle and much planning went into studying it with ground-based radar this cycle. It was never any danger to the planet. NASA has done a very good job of locating well over 90% of the very large (>1 km or .6 miles) asteroids that could threaten the earth with the WISE satellite, and none of them are headed our way within the next decade or so at least. Beyond that some of the math gets fuzzier due to the incredible number of gravitational influences that can perturb the calculated path.
Some people like to praise the American indigenes for making a sophisticated calendar. But, I'd just like to point out that the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Arabians, and Chinese had already made these discoveries too...and frankly...they all had more knowledge of science. It doesn't take much to measure the length of the days....especially when you have a dedicated religious class. Not that I'm belittling the Mayans or anything. But some of you put them too far up on the pedestal.
By the way Kallie, there are millions of asteroids in the solar system, and American scientists have been fighting congress to get funding for the kind of telescopes needed to find them all...if you want to blame anyone, blame congress.
Dear Kallie,
The object you refer to is known as Toutatis. It has been observed since 1934 and has a varied orbit. We are sorry you are to ignorant to do your own research and will gladly charge you $1800.00 per hour to keep you informed of every little detail of near Earth objects.
Thank You
NASA
P.S. You're welcome for the Velcro and Tang
about the only conclusion to draw from that calander is...it is round. Where do they put the leap years on there? sooooooo, the finished on the winter solstice. convenient. Nasa should not even bother. Humans have had doomsday on their brain for over five thousand years.....but mel brooks put it best...I bring you these fifteen comma..(crash)..errr ten commandments.....ain't no boogie man out there badder than us. period.
Nobody can claim anything other than life continuing as normal to this date!
How do idiots actually get people to believe that somebody's age old clock is the date for the end of the world?
It's just a matter of ignorance! Plenty of people in the world are ignorant and they believe almost anything and especially anything that seems improbable.
It's time for the world to WAKE UP! Nobody is special in this world! We're all in it for the long haul!
Something is terribly wrong that this country has to depend on NASA to spend money and effort to debunk a myth.
I remember the days when you could get a debunking for a dime! And it came with a complimentary salad bar!
Actually, one of NASA's missions is education. When people start spouting off about planetary alignments or invisible planets destroying the earth, it makes sense for them to debunk it.
I don't think they spent much on this debunking. Too many scientists would do it for free.
I'm simply amazed how the Maya knew exactly when the last Twinkies delivered to Chicago last week would be eaten. We are DOOMED!
That was a good one made me laugh. Just think how hard it is to replicate 36 ingredients and one of the 36 was used for Jet fuel. At least that was what my son said.
hahahahahaha--no more Twinkie defense!
My, won't NASA be embarrassed when December 22nd never comes.
And if December 22nd doesn't come no one will be around to say "I told you so." so I doubt that NASA has anything to worry about.
Since you obviously believe that the world will end on the 21st how about you sell off all your stuff and give the money to the needy and then when the 22nd arrives you can come on here and whine about not having anything left because the world didn't end.
Harold Camping followers sued him for false advertisement. How's that going?
NASA getting bent out of shape because 14%, thats 14% of the entire global population of the Earth think the World will end in their life time.
Yes NASA what you are doing is not just over kill, its obsessive, its a Holy Religious Crusade. This reminds me of the extreme over reaction NASA had to the Moon Landing Hoax thingy.
Both make one wonder if there is something that NASA is hiding. Grandma always said someone who cries out the loudest or the most extreme, usually has something to hide.
The world is not ending 21 December 2012. but the way NASA is behaving, one wonders.
NASA should just ignore this totally. 22 December 2012, the people will see all is well. er I should say, that 14% will.
Golly NASA going insane over 14% of the Population, I guess we are all suppose to believe like NASA eh?
And thats my opinion.
Truth be told the earth will end for all when they die so maybe they are right.
Wow Magnum, so scientists educating the public is "going insane"? Whatever dude.
14% of the world's population is close to 1 billion people.
Do the math. With 7 billion people, 14% is 980,000,000 people.
3.4, Magnum:
14% of 8 billion is 1.12 billion - that's a whole lot of folks. More than 3x the population of our nation. Imagine if 1.12 billion people decided to do something stupid...they could do quite a bit of damage.
I just think that it's a good excuse for an End of the World party!
We are having one. If the world's going to end, which I totally don't believe in, why not go out in style and have a big bash? No point in worrying about something you can't control.
I've been to a lot of those end of the world parties. They are fun, but always remember, tomorrow comes quickly.
We should have an after the end of the world party, theme "OK so it wasn't the end of the world."
IMHO
That, sounds like, it should be, a 2 day party, to me. Haven't done that in years. Sounds like a fun time.
During Y2K, I had a ton of people over. I even had a tent set up in the back with a paper plate taped to it that said "fallout shelter" written in crayon with a backwards R. I made T-shirts and everything. What a great party that was!
And in honor of the Mayans, my party will feature tequila...
The song to sing before December 21
"THE MORNING AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD"
I can't believe people believe any of this end of the world stuff. If there were a giant asteroid heading directly at the Earth, then I would worry. All these religulous nuts make themselves look like horses' asses when they predict the end of the world.
What makes you think that there is NOT a giant asteroid or comet heading directly at the Earth?
Before you start calling other people names, maybe you should spend your nights watching the skies for deadly space rocks. Or perhaps it doesn't matter enough to you to spend your time doing that kind of thing. Then why would you worry if some guy with a telescope says there is a big damn rock steaming Earth?
Tone down the arrogance and keep an open mind. That's all I'm sayin'. The world isn't going to end, but there's no reason to act like a jerk.
First of all there are tens of thousands of people with telescopes. If there was a giant asteroid/meteor heading towards the earth we would know about it. I guess your a conspiracy nut who thinks the government can control thousands of people all around the globe. I can tell you with certainty that the world is not going to end next week. You must be one of those religulous people!
If people believe all the silly stories of their religion, why be surprised some get worked up over this? People really are gullible.
As for looking at the sky looking for deadly rocks, well, that is not time well spent.
Hey Mob, I hope all is well with you and yours. Don't waste your time with these trolls. They have nothing to contribute, they just want to see their name on the internet and make snarky comments so maybe somebody will think they are clever or think deep thoughts.
As my grandad used to say, "Never try to teach a pig to sing, it's a waste of time and it annoys the pig."
Take care and have a happy holiday.
A minor point, but I disagree with ya Mob. The world will, in fact, end. Someday. Just we don't know when, precisely. But like you said, still no reason to act like a jerk about it.
(And ... glad to see you're still alive and kicking)
Sorry but anytime there is a case of intellectually stunted people attempting to pass off this nonsense as science or whatever else, we need to completely purge that idea and demand that people think critically. This is utter nonsense and should be treated accordingly.
Google Search the actual percentage of observed Space including with the NEO Volunteers.
The reason why this is less and less (observed Space) Volunteers is as posted below:
.
Nope Critical Thinking was deemed unnecessary by the majority recently.
http://money.msn.com/investing/11-things-wrong-with-congress
mob: i'm with jvalen. there is reason to be arrogant when people spend time talking about such ludicrous, delusional things. this stuff simply isn't real...it's crazy talk folklore that, sadly, some people actually buy into. it has a real, unfortunate impact on people and that's sad.
wow. The amount of ignorant superstition here sort of boggles the mind. Are any of you employable because it's certain looking at your comments you didn't make it through High School.
jvalen --
Just the other day an asteroid passed between the earth and the moon (or, I should say: "passed by the earth at a distance closer than that of the moon"). Nobody saw it until less than 48 hours before the event. It was large enough that it would have caused significant damage if it had smacked directly into the earth.
It would have to be a very large asteroid to destroy the earth.
Actually, there are currently approximately 1,000 known large asteroids heading for Earth. Whether or not they will hit us is the big unknown factor. Comets are much more unpredictable than asteroids. They are much faster, come out of outer space without an orbit and pass us before we even know they are there.
A lot of you guys are bashing people who believe this for being religious crazies, but I'm not sure which religion you're talking about. Certainly not Christianity, since in the New Testament it says that no one will know when the world will end.
If the world was coming to an end NASA nor the Governments would tell you. It would create total chaos.Better to have everybody just going about their life. But I do believe there is no scientific evidence that an alignment of the planets would cause the earth to fall apart. If that were so then there would be repercussions for all the planets in the solar system. Daniel 564 you are right but it also says there will be signs of the times, I think we are seeing some of them now!
NASA doesn't really know everything and doesn't tell us everything. And all those worldwide telescopes didn't see the mystery asteroid that just shot by earth in between us and the moon. And if you use a red filter and take a picture of the sun you will see something that is not supposed to be there too. But don't be surprised if NASA tells the public soon. It will be getting more visible very soon, perhaps 12-21-12.
I'll tell you what Gwhizz, I'll give you every dollar I've ever made and my house on December 22nd if the world ends and you're right. Will you do the same if I'm right and the world doesn't end?
Pragmatic: If the world does end then I doubt your money nor your house will be there to take.
Mrrationalthought--I have to disagree with what you said, that looking for Near Earth Objects "is not time well spent." Those can be actual threats and should be looked after--even one as small as the one that took out that big swath of forest in Russia in the, I think, in the early 1900's would cause horrific damage if it landed in a heavily populated area.
I assumed no one would really take this seriously, but I was in a bookstore and saw at least 12 different books on the subject. That seems to suggest a fairly substantial market of people with more than the usual cluelessness.
Just because someone buys a book, it doesn't mean they take that subject seriously. I have a grimoire that I bought from Barnes and Noble but I don't take magic seriously. I bought a book on Alchemy but I don't take it seriously. I own a book that purports to be able to teach the French language but I don't take it seriously either (damn gibberish).
Some people do take that stuff seriously, and more power to them I say. To each their own. And why not.
Many have buy bibles, and hopefully they don't it seriously, either.
Many went to English Classes and they (you) don't take that seriously, either.
Look at it this way. If there's any mass suicides you can look at it as a gift of rapid natural selection this holiday season.
Is human life that meaningless to you?
Natural selection happens, and suicidal folks have their own problems. But I don't understand the mind that can think of either of those things as a "gift" to anyone.
Yeah, just remember that there was at least one person who killed her children to prevent them from experiencing the Rapture last year. That is no joking matter, and every reason in the world to debunk these myths
Hey, do any of you peeps remember the close passage of the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997? Crack-pot cultists in California (natch) predicted that a flying saucer from god was accompanying the comet and was ready to receive the cult members if they castrated themselves (I kid you not !) and committed suicide. They all lined up neatly and killed them selves. Was this a tragedy or a comedy? Saturday Night Live did a satire of this showing that they all made it to the flying saucer but the spiritual beings who greeted them told them that they really didnt need to castrate them selves. But what the hell, they were right and all of us atheistic, humanistic, rationalistic, Commie bastards were wrong.
Debunking is wasted on the types who so deeply believe that the Rapture will happen on whatever day that they will murder their children to spare them of it. Those folks clearly aren't going to change their minds with a healthy dose of logic and reason.
Debunking is good for folks with high suggestibility who might buy into it simply because it's being talked about. For them, I have this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events which lists a lot (but not all) predicted end dates. Ain't a single one been right.
They didn't even see the asteroid coming that zipped by us 2 or 3 days ago...caught them totally by surprise...I don't buy into the Mayan deal but you never know what's lurking out there in the darkness.
Indeed!
Many meteorites hit the Earth everyday. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. When will another large object slam into the Earth. It has happened before. It will happen again. Anyone who thinks otherwise has a fundamentally disjointed view of our solar system.
But that doesn't mean we all need to run around with our hair on fire either...
I'm more of a fan of the alignment of the planets and the Poles shifting. No one will see that coming.
If you really are a fan of alignment of the planets and polar shifts; how about knowing the whole thing.
As in it is NOT just a alignment of the planets (minor gravitational change); but, the alignment of that intense gravitational field of that BIG Black Hole Plane, and the alignment of the Planets, resulting in Polar Shifts and during the height of Solar Activity (upcoming) this intense gravitational change causes the Sun to send out a very large Solar Flare (as previously occurring many centuries ago), some of the beliefs (not verified) that this was what made extinct the Dinosaurs and not a huge meteor alone, as well as previous Pangaea Theory and belief that the previous Polar Shifts caused the Ice Ages, etc. (some things currently being verified by Arctic and Antarctic Explorations, that I do not agree with unless they use strict Epidemiological (Biological Warfare) procedures as previously things like the Spanish Flu wiped out a significant number of the World's Population).
Holy run-on sentence, Batman
You mean, like the poles quickly shifting and earthquakes happen all over and vast glaciers come roaring down starting an ice age and wipe out cities and other disasters galore? As was predicted in a book as occurring in May 5, 2001?
Wait a minute, that didn't happen. Nothing remotely like that happened. According to basic astrophysics, nothing remotely like that could happen, "alignment" or not. You're worrying about an impossibility. There are so many real dangers to worry about it seems silly to worry about imaginary ones.
The magnetic poles of the earth have flipped before, and could do so again. The land masses, however, would not move. No huge earthquakes. Birds might start flying north for the winter, though. That would be sad.
what was that about English class, David?
Earth is not within range of strong gravitational effects from the black hole at the center of the galaxy since gravitational effects decrease exponentially the farther away one gets. Earth is 93 million miles from the sun and 165 quadrillion miles from the Milky Way's black hole. The sun and the moon (a
smaller mass, but much closer) are by far the most dominant gravitational forces on Earth. Throughout the course of the year, our distance from the Milky Way's black hole changes by about one part in 900 million – not nearly enough to cause a real change in gravity's pull. Moreover, we're actually nearest to the
galactic center in the summer, not at the winter solstice.
Enjoy the solstice, by all means, and don't let the Dark Rift, alignments, solar flares, magnetic field reversals, potential impacts or alleged Maya end-of-the-world predictions get in the way.
Francis Reddy
NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Hey! A guy from the future just traveled back in time to let us know the world isn't going to end on the 21st! No I know for sure I'll be OK!
Did the guy come out of a big blue policebox where it is bigger in the inside?
Naaa… He was driving a DeLorean. But the police were after him because he was doing 88 miles an hour when he went past.
Doctor Who? Doctor Who? - Daleks after getting their collective hive memory erased. Didn't you even wonder how he got that name (Who).
The Daleks Forget The Doctor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpKu7WVt74
The majority of people at the US miss out on all the great stuff and keep watching remakes of remakes of remakes.
Are you sure he wasnt naked and pumped-up and said "Ill be back"? (And then became governor of California?)
Dr. Who, Doc Brown, and the Terminator...
All very good points. Thank you.
Actually, this is the proof the conspiracy fans were looking for. Aliens really have landed, and they've taught NASA all about time travel. And all this time, I thought those peeps were nuts. Go figure.
Oh I get it. It is just like the financial cliff negotiations in Washington, the are coming to the end sure enough, but it is the same end over and over again. Just hope Congress saves enough money to all this over and over again next year and the year after that. A moneyed long count indeed.
Press END any time you want and it starts again.
If the world is going to end on the 21st., where did Capt. Kirk come from? Iowa won't exist. ;-P
That is very easily explained by Trekies.
That is an alternate Dimension and alternate Reality that the Future Captain Kirk will come from.
He won't be in this dimension though. Gene Roddenberry lied to us. :-(
Mr. Roddenberry didn't lie, I met him during the 1970s while he was presenting his Star Trek Bloppers and explaining his ideas (two belly buttons during one of his movies because the censors had previously censored female belly buttons on Star Trek, lol.) and his rarely mentioned dark side of the Federation.
The Dark side of the Federation huh, "Luke, I am your father".
I hope you're not serious when you say that NASA has decided the world is not going to come to an end on December 21. I've spent the last month-and-a-half quitting my job and running up credit card charges of $99,000 (at 30% APR) based on the idea that the world would end and I wouldn't have to pay for any of it. Now you're telling me that NASA says the world won't end? NO!!!
To mob_barley:
"Tone down the arrogance and keep an open mind. That's all I'm sayin'. The world isn't going to end, but there's no reason to act like a jerk."
He's not acting.
:D
the world is ending! take advantage of our end of the world specials!!!
What I would seriously like to know is why every report on the Mayan calendar says it is technologically superior, or more accurate than our calendar,...so why aren't we using theirs??
Why aren't we using the more accurate Metric Measurements (Millimeters); as well as, the International lower Acceptable Fault Tolerances as the physical measure of "Quality".
It's not technologically more superior.
This calendar is based on astronomical observations. It means that it is self-correcting in so much that, for example, the beginning of the year happens on this particular observance, it doesn't matter exactly how many days have past.
It doesn't account for gaps either way, whether you need to add alittle time here, or take away alittle time there like we do. This makes it rather unusable in our modern context. But essentially, it does what we do, make a correction as needed.
Mitchell
It was probably symbolic. Just because the Mayan calendar says doomsday's coming doesn't mean it's carved in stone.
I think it was carved in stone, they had not invented paper and the bic pen yet.
Good one!
hahahahahahaha--and maybe they ran out of space on the stone;)
Closest thing i can see well i cant see it that may realy do a number on us is a rouge planet that is about 100 light years from us. roughly 3-5x the size of jupiter. no it won't hit us really. but it could push and pull some things around a bit if too close. Im not talking about planet moveing but that nice icy rock sphear around our solar system, Knock a few larg icy chunks around maby one toward us....but i don't think that will happen anytime soon,.
Rouge planet?
I've heard Mars referred to as the red planet, but rouge?
@mpa: Never trust a seer that can't spell!
rouge make planet pretty, but I'm just a caveman
The MAYA never said the WORLD is ending - they said THEIR CALENDAR cycle ends and a new calendar cycle begins. Stop associating the Maya with this story which was built up from New Age western interpretations of the Maya.
What the Maya said is that their current and Fourth Sun age of Man will end and the Fifth Sun age of Man will begin. NASA has said nothing that contradicts the Mayan calendar. It contradicts the New Age interpretation of the calendar... hey NASA it's you who got the facts wrong!
magintob,
You need to repost your post under #1. as a Reply.
You sure about that Magintob? It was my understanding that the Mayans believed that the world was destroyed and reborn between ages.
Belief influences the human reality, and to some extent creates it, if people believe the world will end, they will act in response to that belief in specific ways, rather predictable ways actually, so it is important to deal with it irregardless of whether or not you believe it is accurate, all that matters is that some people do believe in it. So solution one, try to educate them about the facts, and solution two work within the context of that belief, for example somebody rather excellently pointed out that the Mayan calendar does not predict the end of the world, rather the end of the cycle and the beginning of a new one.
So anyway again glad NASA is spending time on this.
Sadly there is something called the self fulfilling prophecy. There will be those who will do what it takes to make sure, in what ever way they can, that the world ends.Those would be the mentally disturbed ones who go off on a shooting spree, or have their followers that just know they don't want to wait for things to get awful and decide to kill themselves. Others will sell all they have, and go hide in some deep dark cave, hoping to ride out the horrible affects.
This isn't the first, nor will it be the last time people believe the world will end. People will always see what they want. No matter how illogical, or facts that cloud the issue. Heck, in 1000 A.D. people thought the world would end. In 1666 the same. Of course then the great fire in London happened, burning tens of thousands of homes. People feared 1900 and 2000 as well. Predicting the end of the world. But we are still here. So, while still more fear the earth will be destroyed on 12/21/2012,
One thing is clear. No one is guaranteed tomorrow.And surely more than one persons world will end on that day. Just not the whole planet. Then folks will have to pick another day to fret and worry about. I'm sure the date 2022 will look like a great candidate to many. When that asteroid that just missed us short while ago, is due to possibly crash and destroy all life. Maybe it's that other one from yesterday, that comes around every 2 1/2 years or another we will only get a few hours notice about.
The only fear I have leading up to Friday the 21st is that some person thinks they can take a risk of sorts because they have it in their head they can afford to, jeopardising other peoples safety etc.
It was good NASA took sometime to debunk the claims being made out there, as this end of days stuff has being going on globally for sometime and building up with a great amount of believers. Just google 'panic 2012' in news reports to see that in some countries citizens are going to some lengths to prepare for the 'end'.
You only need one person to snap to make life a misery...so why not help them to chill out?
well of course they have to release it early.... if they released the day after the world ends then nobody could see it... duhhh....
Of course, NASA only knows about what they see in space. Anything 'supernatural' or totally unexplainable is totally beyond their comprehension. NASA actually believes that mathematics and physics is all there is to understand.
no, NASA don't believe, on contrary to you, they actually think. yes siree those who are incapable of logical thinking, like you, are scared of math and physics and facts so you place value on supernatural and hocus pocus stuff..... well i can't say i blame you for not being up to par to modern human beings in your brain development.
All you douche bags who throw their hands up at the doomsday people who do believe this non-sense, I want to point out that the vast majority of you absolutely do believe in God and are in no better position to argue your point of view then the mentally ill 12/21 doomsday people. Another interesting fact, the doomsday people never killed anyone over it.
The way most of you view these doomsdayers are exactly the way us round Earth people view all religion. You cannot understand how on Earth they can believe such non-sense, I'm sure. Ditto.
Lighten up, from a fellow non-religious.
Doomsday preppers will probably be better prepared for hurricanes.
Hey, I'm a total atheist. I'm sure that if the human race is wiped out on the 21'st every other organism on earth, except the domesticated dogs, will be happy to see us go.
Don't really care if it ends or not. What happens, happens, so screw it!
Not true. Pigeons will have nothing to poop on anymore.