2007-07-15 16:57:50 · 10 answers · asked by Amy 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The History Channel and Aztec seem to think the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. It will be end of the 4th era, and the beginning of the 5th era. I don't think it will be any worse than Y2K. But stock up on food just in case.
2007-07-15 17:05:03 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Jon 5 · 3⤊ 3⤋
Jonathan B, in case you didn't know: There are no giant asteroids. Ceres, the largest, is only about 1.2% of the mass of the Moon and the whole of the asteroid belt (some 350,000 known asteroids) between them amount to a mere 4% of the mass of the Moon.
And how exactly did the ancient Mayans (whose civilisation died out long before 1801) make predictions about asteroids when mankind did not know about asteroids till 1801 and Herschel did not even propose the term "asteroid" till 1802?
So let's (if we don't want to look foolish) learn to distinguish "additions by a later hand" from what the Mayans actually said.
Similar bunkum added by a modern hand includes the notion of alignment with the galactic centre. We only knew there were such things as galaxies, thanks to work done by Edwin Hubble in the 1920s. And the Maya would have no idea that we were part of one, as ancient peoples were in general geocentrists and thought the earth was the centre of the universe and for them to conceive of the earth being aligned with the centre of the universe would have meant, nonsensically, alignment with itself!
My understanding is that they did not predict the end of the world, merely that there would be some changes as a new era was beginning. Which makes it sound more like a chorus of "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" from the musical Hair than anything life-threatening.
One wonders why the doom-and-gloom brigade have latched onto this. Is there a flourishing trade in Mayan mystical products they are trying to stimulate? More worryingly, is there a cult behind this, which will instruct its faithful to commit suicide when Gloomsday arrives, rather than be exposed as the frauds they are, when nothing happens?
The one thing we can be certain of is that there will be a lot of gullible people who will wake up the next day, after the earth was supposed to end, and realise they were conned by the mystics and their pseudo-science. If only they would wake up to that now, these charlatans would not get such a grip in people's minds.
We live in a scientific age, but fear and superstition still have a grip on some people's minds, alas.
And as someone else above observes, fear and superstition and their predictions have no place in a science column devoted to astronomy and space, in which the point is surely to discuss our growing understanding of humanity's place in the universe, not the annihilation of human life through disaster.
2007-07-16 00:51:58 · answer #2 · answered by crabapples 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
What makes you think that there is anything significant about that date? Do you realize how many dates have passed that were supposed to be the end? Do you know how many dates are pass 2012 for the end? Don't fall for this b.s.
2007-07-16 00:02:37 · answer #3 · answered by dark_knight_1735 4 · 3⤊ 3⤋
It will come and go and then it will be the next day.
2007-07-16 00:09:38 · answer #4 · answered by Gene 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
nothin special, but who knows
and do believe this stupid shits bout end and things like tht
it it was true dont you think we would be panicing rite now....
tryin our best to get out of the earth and makin tons and tons of rockects.....so nothing special for now, unless something important but tht major like end of terrorism or something like tht u know.....
2007-07-16 00:09:41 · answer #5 · answered by Nishant P 4 · 1⤊ 4⤋
A giant asteroid will collide with the Earth completely destroying 99% of life on the planet. Yes, that includes all human life.
2007-07-16 00:02:15 · answer #6 · answered by Jonathen B 2 · 1⤊ 8⤋
noting
2007-07-16 00:00:34 · answer #7 · answered by louis g 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result;_ylt=Ams_j_KtFeyYXjnz6vjbhe8Bxgt.?p=2012
there are 2234 exactly the same question. stop asking the same question over and over. use a search feature.
2007-07-16 01:36:25 · answer #8 · answered by noneya b 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
This is not an astronomy or space question.
2007-07-16 00:21:47 · answer #9 · answered by Vanessa P 3 · 1⤊ 4⤋
idk alot of stuff there's going to be flying cars robots ( i think they come out in 2011 unless something happens) a whole lotta stuff
2007-07-16 01:07:01 · answer #10 · answered by cl_chele 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋