I have a problem with this Mayan calendar thing?

Question

As wkevinc pointed out, this Mayan calendar supposedly predicted the alignment of the sun, moon, earth, and center of the Milky Way. The Mayans didn't have a clue about the center of the Milky Way. Sure, they could see the soft band of light across the sky, but they didn't have the foggiest notion what it was. So where did this galactic reference come from? Certainly not the Mayans.

I've looked up the data. The sun passes close to the galactic center on that date, but it follows that same track every year. The earth, sun, and galactic center are never in good alignment. Also, the moon is nowhere near in alignment with the sun or the galactic center (w/re to the earth) on that date.
Yes, I knew this was all bunk, but I was curious where this notion about the galactic center came from.

Stephanie, we *are* in the Milky Way galaxy. Better check your source. The Sagittarius arm is the nearest major spiral arm to our solar system. We are in the Orion arm, which is a smaller offshoot of it.

Answer Dude, no civilization before the 19th century had even the slightest notion of galaxies. The Mayans did not know that the Milky Way was an aggregate of stars revolving around a center. They simply did not have the technology for making such a determination.

Answer 1

Well, yeh, what you say is true, but I see another more obvious problem. For the moment, leave out the center of Milky Way, wherever that may be. If the sun, earth, and moon are in alignment on Dec 21, 2012, then there will be a full moon or new moon on this date. However, there isn't -- the new moon is on Dec 13, the full moon is on Dec 28.

Bottom line, this is just the product of conspiracy nuts trying to add substance to their Mayan theory by making up a load of crap.

Answer 2

I do not need to know the physical or chemical makeup of a marble in order to be able to roll one across the floor.

I am not a proponent that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world. There are far too many websites falsely proclaiming that. This was NEVER spoken of by the Mayans. However, it is just as unwise to slander the Mesoamerican culture because of this. In order to have a proper viewpoint either way, one needs to conduct research to understand the topic. It's far too complicated to just say 'it's all true' or 'it's all hogwash' because of a predetermined mindset.

It is not extremely difficult for a civilization to note the precession movement of Earth. Changes are clear within a 20 year span. Plenty of time for the Mayans who studied the skies nightly. Precession was also calculated by the Chinese and possibly recognized by the Egyptians around the same time.

It's true that the Mayans did not look up and say, "Hey, look! There's the center of the Milky Way galaxy!". But without city lights and pollution it was more clearly visible than a 'soft band of light'. I live in a small town in America and even I can go out and see more than a soft band of light. The Mayan astronomers didn't need to know that the Milky Way band was composed of stars in order to look at it. Nor did they need to know what it was in order to use it in their mythology. They did not understand what the North Star was or what the Big Dipper was but they used them in mythology also. A scientific understanding of dark matter or dust or clouds blocking our view of the galactic center is not needed to see that part of the area is dark. This is all the Mayans knew about it. To them the dark part looked like an aligator's jaws. In their myth, the First Father, Hunab Ku was born there out of the jaws. It became known as the Mother Womb as a birthing place. THIS is the cause of all the fuss. The Sun, as viewed from Earth, will appear to rise in the birthing place. That's all. No end of the world. No asteroids. No polar flips. No return of Nibiru. No alien invasion. Just something for astronomers to look at. No different from gawking over a Solar eclipse. Except this event only happens once every 26,000 years.

Using mythology to interpret the heavens was common for all cultures of the past not just the Mayans. The Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and many more cultures also did so we could just as easily condemn them for not understanding the things that they based their myths upon. Noting the galactic center was not new either. Ancient India called the center of the galaxy Vishnunabhi - the age of Brahma.

The Mayan calendar does not 'predict' anything. It marks an astronomical event when the winter solstice sun rises in the center of the galaxy as viewed from Earth. Marking the actual center of the galaxy is moot as this is the ONLY place that the Sun CAN rise at. It cannot rise at an edge point. I have included a diagram to show. Let me state that I am not suggesting one to read the accompanying text, only to look at the diagram. Like I said, I abhor disinformation presented on 2012 websites. This is the only place I could find an illustrative diagram. See bottom of the page:

www.
aztlan dot net
/rumblings_center_galaxyhtm

Sorry you will have to type it in - yahoo would not allow the url.

Does the Mayan calendar actually end in 2012?

No, it doesn't. The Mayan LongCount 13.0.0.0.0 translates to December 21, 2012. The next day will be 13.0.0.0.1. The "13"s position (called the "Baktuns") can go as high as "19".

This business of the calendar "ending" is based solely on hysterical nonsense. December 20, 2012 will be 12.19.19.17.19 the next day will be 13.0.0.0.0 -- its an odometer change, nothing more.

The LongCount number is a composite of Base 20 and Base 18 math and is very similar to the Julian Day Number used by astronomers today (2007.09.01). In fact, 19.19.19.17.19 equals October 12, 4772. The next day will be first use of the "Pictuns" position and will be written as: 1.0.0.0.0.0.

Apparently, armegeddonists and psychics wouldn't get much attention if they started proclaiming October 12, 4772 as the end of the world so they picked 13 baktuns. What the hell do they care if what they print is false, by the time 2012 rolls around, they will have made their money.

We don't have to condemn the Mayans just because they found an astronomical event in the sky that happens once every 26,000 years. We don't need to fear it. We don't need to hype end-of-the-world dogma because of it. But let's at least give them the credit they deserve for mathematically calculating this event. Then let's just enjoy it for what it is. Have a party with some friends, spend the day in contemplative solitude, or just go out and wash your car.

ps thanks for the thumbs down idiot- sorry for bringing some reality into your dream world.

Answer 3

You're quite right.
But people who for some reason want people to panic, or to convert en masse to some religious cult or whatever will use information to distort or corrupt anything they can find that ordinary people are not educated about.

The Mayan calendar doesn't predict the end of the world, it predicts the end of the current world cycle (I won't go into that here), and while the Mayans believed there would be upheavals and people would die they didn't say the world (or humanity) would perish.

So thanks for being a skeptic and questioning things. Intelligent people question what doesn't appear right.

If more people would do a little thinking before taking anything that they hear as complete truth, we wouldn't have all these hoaxes and urban myths going around scaring the children.

Answer 4

Actually scientists just said a few weeks ago that we are not even part of the Milkway. The MW is a galazy that we are being pulled into. We are actually in the sagitarius something? I cant remember. The mayan calander is just another mystery that we may never know about completely. They were accurate for the most part the more we unfold the mysterys of the universe. Watching of the stars dates back to even before bible times. In the bible they were known as the magi. Before that they were known as the mystics.

Answer 5

The Mayans were highly accurate and advanced for their time. To say they didn't have the "foggiest notion" is an insult to their advanced culture and an ignorance on your part.

They knew it was a collection of stars and it rotated so it had to have a center.

Answer 6

It's all pseudoscientific fraud designed to get you to buy books. The frauds want your money.

Answer 7

Exactly. It is all bogus.