A ton of false information is floating around and I wanted to summarize some basic truths to help you defend against the “what if” and “I heard” conversations you will likely be having this week.
“It is my duty to empower you to think so that you can go forth and think accurate thoughts about how the world is put together, inoculating you against the charlatans out there who will exploit your ignorance on anything they possibly can.” ~Neil deGrasse Tyson
What is all the fuss about?
Several different theories have cropped up about how the world will end on December 21, 2012.
Some believe a catastrophic gravitational pole shift will occur due to the alignment of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy (galactic equator), the sun and the earth.
Others believe that it is the end of the Mayan (Mesoamerican Long Count) calendar that has predicted an apocalypse. Â AKA 13 b’ak’tun.
And the craziest of all theories is the mysterious Planet X (Nibiru) which is supposed to slam into Earth.
Truth
Every single year on December 21st the sun aligns with the Earth and the galactic equator. Â This is also known as the winter solstice (shortest day of the year). Â There is nothing significant whatsoever about the alignment.
As for the Mayans, the end of their long count has never been officially linked to an apocalypse by any reputable scholar. Â The only reference to 13th b’ak’tun is translated as:
It will be completed the 13th b’ak’tun.
It is 4 Ajaw 3 K’ank’in
and it will happen a ‘seeing’.
It is the display of B’olon-Yokte’
in a great “investiture”.
(Translated by Sven Gronemeyer and Barbara MacLeod)
And just as your calendar ends on December 31st, 2012. Â A new one begins on January 1, 2013.
Planet X (Nibiru) was supposed to slam into Earth originally in May 2003 but when it didn’t it was recalculated to December 21, 2012 to align with the end of the Mayan calendar. Â According to Neil deGrasse Tyson all gravitational fields in our galaxy have been accounted for and therefore we are not in danger of being hit by a mystery planet.
Summary
I’m up for some wacky theories and ideas, but there needs to be some evidence behind them to support it. Â Here’s hoping this information helps you shut down some long unnecessary conversations with some facts.
Mike
References
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HghEBxHvgg
http://www.seti.org/doomsday-2012-factsheet
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html
http://www.ancient-mythology.com/mayan/2012.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon