What Will Happen in 2012

The year 2012 has become a subject of fascination for hordes of people across the world. Many believe that the year will mark the end of the world. Some say a natural calamity will destroy the planet, while some believe that it will wipe off the human race from the planet. The Mayan myth, of each great age coming to an end with a disaster of some sort, has created a serious doubt in the minds of millions of people across the globe. With the whole world relying on illogical theories and assumptions, we seem to have already convinced ourselves that the world will end in 2012 - though that seems to be far from reality.

What did the Mayans Believe Would Happen in 2012?

The Maya civilization flourished in Central and South America in around 3000 BC. The Mayan culture was advanced in the field of art, architecture, mathematics, astronomy etc. Astronomy was in fact, one of the most important aspects of the Mayan civilization. Based on their accurate astronomical observations, the Mayans came up with a calendar, known as the Mayan Long Count calendar. This calendar is believed to be one of the most accurate calendars ever developed. The Mayan calendar is referred to as the Long Count calendar by archaeologists and historians who have expertise in studying the Mayan civilization.

The length of the Long Count calendar is 1,872,000 days, which adds up to 5,125.37 years. This period is approximately one-fifth of the precession of the equinoxes, a cycle of approximately 25,695 years. Based on this, the Long Count is divided into 5 equal parts, each of which represents one of the five great ages. The Mayans believed that each of the five great ages had to end with some sort of disaster. On the basis of this, the end of the fifth great age is marked as 'the end of the world'. Unfortunately for us, right now we are in the fifth and the last of the great ages which is supposed to end with the precession of equinoxes on 21st December, 2012.

What People Believe Will Happen in 2012?

Many people have come up with their own interpretation of the Mayan prophecy mentioned above. According to a book titled 'The Orion Prophecy', the magnetic field of the planet will reverse, thus, resulting in a series of catastrophic events which will bring about the end of the human race. Yet another book, The Bible Code states that some comet or meteoroid will collide with the Earth and result in widespread destruction. This is also, backed by the Nostradamus code, which states that the planet will be subjected to a series of natural disasters as a result of a collision with a comet.

What Really Will Happen?

Scientists and astronomers are looking forward to some important occurrences in the year 2012, but that doesn't mean 2012 will be the end of the world. In 2012, the second-largest near-Earth asteroid, Asteroid 433 Eros, will pass by the Earth within a range of 17 million miles of the planet. In 2012, the sun will also, flip its magnetic poles, a phenomenon which occurs at the end of every 11-year sunspot cycle. The year will also, witness an annular solar eclipse, in the month of May, and a solar transit of Venus, in the month of June. Both these phenomena have occurred over the last decade, so, we don't really have to be afraid of either of them as the trigger of the doomsday.

When the Mayans predicted 'the end of the world', they must have been just referring to the change of an era. Unnecessary hype by media, and misinterpretation of some texts, such as the Mayan prophecy, has resulted in creation of the myth that the world will end in 2012. For the people who have been spending sleepless nights, it would be a sigh of relief to read, that the year 2012 marks the end of a cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar (which will start all over again), and not the end of world.