The latest end of the world craze concerns the Mayan Calendar that ends a 144,000 day cycle on Dec. 21, the winter solstice. While many people claim this presages the end of the world, NASA is moving to debunk that theory.
What is the Mayan Calendar?
The Mayan Calendar used a number of astronomical observations, having to do with the solar year, the orbit of Venus and something called "the Long Count," which used a series of cycles with one, called the Baktun, lasting 144,000 days or approximately 394.3 years. The first of these cycles started on the traditional date of the Mayan creation in late August or early September 3114 BC. We are currently nearing the end of the 13th Baktun, due to be Dec. 21. This would the end of the current long count cycle that lasts 1,872,000 days or 13 Baktuns.
Did the Mayans believe the world would come to an end later this year?
A recent article in the Vancouver Sun suggests not. Archeological evidence does not indicate the ancient Mayans believed the end of the 13th Baktun would usher in worldwide catastrophes, the end of the world or the rise of a new world order. It was just another date on the calendar, like Dec. 31, 2000.
How is NASA weighing in on the matter?
Mayan calendar end of the world enthusiasts point to some kind of celestial phenomenon as the vehicle for destroying the world. A rogue planet called Nibiru would fly past Earth, causing seismic and other calamities. Some kind of cosmic alignment of the sun and the planets of the solar system would wreak havoc. The north and south poles will switch places. There will be a solar storm that will fry modern electronics. A comet or asteroid will hit Earth. NASA, according to a piece on MSNBC, has found no evidence any of these things are going to happen, on Dec 21 or on any other date.
What is the Bottom Line?
Like every other prediction of doomsday, Dec 21, the end of the 13th Baktun will come and go with Earth, with its people, still rotating on its axes and orbiting the sun. Still, lots of books, TV shows and movies have made money based on the belief an ancient people somehow knew when the world would end in modern times. The idea was the basis of a Roland Emmerich film.
Indeed, the Mexican tourist industry, which has suffered due to the current drug violence, looks to capitalize on the belief in doomsday, according to the Los Angeles Times. Tens of millions of people are predicted to visit ancient Mayan ruins in the Yucatan this year, leading up to Dec 21. What the next doomsday and its potential to separate people from their money remains to be seen.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories. Mark has written for the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, USA Today, the Houston Chronicle, and other venues.
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