slideshow

All kinds of predictions are being made about the end of the world, signaled by the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012. What value do these predictions have? We invite you to explore the following slideshow and draw your own conclusions … (and stop worrying!)

Doomsday Prediction #1

The Maya ended their calendar on December 21, 2012 because the sky told them it was the end of the world.

We Say ...

The Maya were acutely aware of the large and small cycles observable in the heavens. One of these was the precession of the equinoxes (and solstices), the result of Earth’s wobble on her axis. Each wobble takes about 26,000 years to complete, called the “Great Year”. The calendar that ends on December 21, 2012 marks the date when the December Solstice occurs against the backdrop of the exact center of the Milky Way -- our galaxy -- or the “Galactic Center”. This is the birth of a new wobble, in a sense the Earth’s birthday in its 26,000-year long Great Year of its life.

Doomsday Prediction #2

The solar flares of 2012-2013 are a sign of the End Times: “Solar physicists expect the Sun's behavior over the next few years to impact the planet in ways rarely (if ever) experienced by modern man. A big enough solar event can knock out grids, satellites, microchip circuitry and thousands of pole transformers, all in a single blow. Electric power and communications to tens of millions of people could disappear for months.”

We Say ...

Solar flares reach a peak every 11 years. The ones of 2012-2013 fall within the natural cycle of solar emissions. It is certainly possible during a peak for disruptions to occur. However, the Earth’s magnetic field absorbs and buffers the shock of solar flare activity, resulting in some so-far manageable disruptions and beautiful aurorae in the North and South polar regions. Not all CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are aimed at Earth, and strong CMEs can happen at any solar peak, not just the one in 2012-2013. It is true that we need to be prepared for disruptions in communications and infrastructure, but this is no more true in 2012 than at any other time.

Doomsday Prediction #3

Nostradamus said it; the Hopi said it; Hermes Trismegistus said it: The world will end in a huge cataclysm.

We Say ...

All of these predictions are non-specific. That is, no dates are given to tie the predicted events to a specific date. So tying them to 2012 is a leap of fear that has no factual basis.

Doomsday Prediction #4

There will be an increase in severe weather and cataclysmic Earth changes such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

We Say ...

There is certainly a trend toward weather extremes that is explained as an effect of human-caused greenhouse gases, or global warming. This trend began with the use of fossil fuels, and it will not slow until we find earth-friendly ways of powering human activities. Certainly a sign of a need for change, this is not tied to 2012 but part of an ongoing trend that the human species needs to reverse. Some of the phenomena that people are tying to 2012 are indeed a part of our lives, and there are certainly significant planetary processes taking place now that support the current changes in politics and sustainability on Earth. However, the Maya did not have any strong belief in a doomsday event or horrific outcome tied to any timeframe.