Mayan Calendar 2012 Doomsday Scenarios Debunked By NASA Scientist (VIDEO)

By: Natalie Wolchover
Published: 03/09/2012 09:26 AM EST on Lifes Little Mysteries

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have put out a new video to address false claims about the "Mayan apocalypse," a non-event that some people believe will bring the world to an end on Dec. 21. 

In the video, which was posted online Wednesday (Mar. 7), Don Yeomans, head of the Near-Earth Objects Program Office at NASA/JPL, explains away many of the most frequently cited doomsday scenarios. [See video]

Addressing the belief that the calendar used by the ancient Mayan civilization comes to a sudden end in December 2012, and that this will coincide with a cataclysmic, world-ending event, Yeomans said: "Their calendar does not end on December 21, 2012; it's just the end of the cycle and the beginning of a new one. It's just like on December 31, our calendar comes to an end, but a new calendar begins on January 1."

Yeomans also attempted to allay fears regarding potential causes of a Mayan apocalypse, including Nibiru, an imaginary planet that some people think is swinging in from the outer solar system just in time to collide with Earth in December. "This enormous planet is supposed to be coming toward Earth, but if it were, we would have seen it long ago. And if it were invisible somehow, we would have seen the [gravitational] effects of this planet on neighboring planets. Thousands of astronomers who scan the sky on a daily basis have not seen this," he said. [Believers In Mysterious Planet Nibiru Await Earth's End]

He added that there is zero possibility of a NASA cover-up. "Can you imagine thousands of astronomers who observe the skies on a daily basis keeping the same secret from the public for several years?"

As for solar flares, Yeomans explained that these do exist — in fact, two massive solar flares erupted just days ago, sending bursts of solar radiation into space — but they are part of the sun's normal 11-year cycle. Radiation from solar flares can damage orbiting satellites, but Earth's magnetosphere shields its inhabitants from the blasts, and the flares are not a health concern.

"Then we have planetary alignments," Yeomans said. Some doomsayers believe the other planets and the sun will align with the Earth in December and cause catastrophic tidal effects. "Well, first of all, there are no planetary alignments in December of 2012, and even if there were, there are no tidal effects on the Earth as a result. The only two bodies in the solar system that can affect the Earth's tides are the moon, which is very close, and the sun, which is massive and also fairly close. But the other planets have a negligible effect on the Earth."

(Incidentally, it is perfectly normal for the sun and moon to align, bolstering each other's  gravitational pulls on Earth and generating higher-than-normal ocean tides. This happens twice each month.)

Addressing the claim that Earth's axes are going to shift on Dec. 21, 2012, he said: "The rotation axis can't shift because the orbit of the moon around the Earth stabilizes it and doesn't allow it to shift." He noted that the magnetic field does shift every half-million years or so, but "there's no evidence it's going to happen in December, and even if it were to be shifting, it takes thousands of years to do so. And even if it did shift, it's not going to cause a problem on the Earth apart from the fact that we're going to have to recalibrate our compasses." [What If Earth's Magnetic Poles Flip?]

Invoking the astronomer Carl Sagan's famous maxim, he said: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Since the beginning of time there have been literally hundreds of thousands of predictions for the end of the world, and we're still here."

Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @nattyover. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.

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Comments

[Alik Brundrett]

01:05 PM on 12/17/2012

In the video, the "Mayan calendar" that they show is actually the Aztec calendar, not the Mayan one. Most people incorrectly associate the image of the Aztec calendar with the 12/21/12 event.

[Hana Baker]

12:50 AM on 11/29/2012

I wish authors would stop using the Aztec calendar (the Fifth Sun Face) and describe it as Mayan. See you all at the "End of the World" conference Uxmal Yucatan Dec. 21. Dr. Arthur Aveni lecturing and of course debunking this western created hoax.

[John Highmersmchit]

12:57 PM on 03/23/2012

"Well, first of all, there are no planetary alignments in December of 2012" THE MAYANS NEVER EVER SAID THERE WOULD BE A PLANETARY ALIGNMENT. THEY SAID AND I QUOTE MY X-GIRLFRIEND WAS MAYAN "OUR POSITION IN THE GALAXY ITSELF ALIGNS AT THE SOUTHERN MOST POINT" You see, our planetary group spins in an oval shape around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, just as our planets do here, creating 4 seasons. They predict, that just as the earth's seasons change as the planet tilts/moves away from the sun, so will the seasons change as we now begin to gradually move back towards the center of our galaxy. Images depict more rain and heightened solar activity. We haven't been on this side of the galaxy for over 6600 years, only an Ancient civilization would know what the weather will be like on this side, especially when considering our stupid modern civilization still thought the earth was flat just 2200 years ago, knowing nothing about the planets, while the Mayans on the other hand already had the whole galaxy and portions of the universe laid out in stone and integrated into every calendar.

[lifeandvictory]

03:23 PM on 03/16/2012

There's a lot happening . . The Mayans may not have the story right, but there is definitely stuff happening and also in accordance with the times they gave.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fusq5yrQ0jw&feature=plcp&context=C46a8b72VDvjVQa1PpcFOCHI5IHvL8eyPBPzH4GgFSQz9Ai02Hulw%3D

[FDR-FAN]

04:37 PM on 03/15/2012

The Mayan's had no concept of leap year. According to their math 2012 happened a few years ago. P.T Barnum put it best " there's a sucker born every minute. "

[John Highmersmchit]

12:40 PM on 03/23/2012

false, their calculations were off by 2 minutes every 2400 years, but that many years hasn't past yet, so basically the weren't off at all, they could have been planning to fix that 2 minutes in 2012 just as we plan to stop leap year (24 hours) and daylight savings (1 hour) within the next 40 years...

[cagog]

07:09 PM on 03/14/2012

Titanomacy, Gigantomachy, and soon Deitomachy, or war of the gods.

[cagog]

07:07 PM on 03/14/2012

The Titans and the Gigantes shall reign over humankind, but what will God do??????? Will he have Okeanos and other good titans help him or will the Olympians, Protogenoi, Asgardians, formorians help in the fight. Dont know and dont care.

[lifeandvictory]

03:25 PM on 03/16/2012

Haha, then why say it? God is good, he is love and needs no help . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fusq5yrQ0jw&feature=plcp&context=C46a8b72VDvjVQa1PpcFOCHI5IHvL8eyPBPzH4GgFSQz9Ai02Hulw%3D

[Sharon Wren]

03:14 PM on 03/14/2012

Here's my theory (we're all entitled to a crackpot theory or 2). The Mayan calendar was being put together by a mom. Two of her kids came in fighting, somebody was bleeding, the dog pooped in the kitchen, her husband asked when dinner would be ready, another kid ran in saying that some Spaniards just showed up...in other words, she got distracted!

[James Swick]

10:00 AM on 03/14/2012

Nothing new ! BUT, nobody mentioned Yellowstone's super volcano that could go off any time or a giant space rock slamming into the moon or earth.

[ArtCarnage]

10:44 PM on 03/13/2012

I understand that the next Mayan Calendar will either have kittens or Norman Rockwell paintings on it. That should make everyone feel better.

[jeremyemilio]

09:38 PM on 03/13/2012

Yeah... but I bet he'd also say that humans walked on the moon...

[April Ransom DF]

04:59 PM on 03/13/2012

Well, I feel better now... :p

[shadduprabbit]

04:27 PM on 03/13/2012

The mayan calender only predicts the ending of one era and the beginning of the next.I wonder if the day we have predicted as the coming of days falls within the Wayeb' of the Mayan calendar? Seems to be off by about four days,which any Mathematician will tell you would make this equation wrong,especially an equation as large as this,wouldn't it? Admittedly, I do not know much about the calendar any insight as to what makes the "doomsday" hypothosis believable would be appreciated.

[Mischievous Puck]

02:25 PM on 03/13/2012

What about oil?

[ThinkinPerson]

12:23 PM on 03/13/2012

Good that this information is getting out!

Its a big event in the Mayan calendar, not exactly like Dec 31 to Jan 1, because this time speak to the end of a 26,000 year period. Imagine how long the Mayan have kept the calendar, and its purpose is specifically to know and predict cataclysmic events. The challenge is that we have messed a lot with the environment, and it has to stop, the calendar spoke about change needing to happen and we are coming dangerously close to not getting there - as the scientists also say.

I think most of the big shifting of the earth has happened, except for one more perhaps, large change this year, on the ground, not in space.

The Mayan calendar specifically tracks astrological and planetary changes - like comets, major events, to prepare.

And, the Mayan were accurate down to a millisecond.

Which is what I imagine the next article describing the 'new' accurate computer time machine is all about.

It would have been nice if NASA would have met with some Mayan elders to speak to them about what its all about and done some sort of joint learning and sharing exercise.

Oh well, at least now the info is getting out there :)

In fact, the coming change is POSITIVE so the sooner we move on to positive, the better.

Its pretty simple.

Mother logic always is.