Will the World End in 2012

As we inch towards 2012, the fear of 2012 apocalypse is getting more and more deep-rooted in the mind of millions of people across the world. Everybody is making preparations for cataclysmic disaster which will cause the world to end - some by praying to the all mighty and some by collecting things which will help them survive this alleged apocalypse. Will the world end in 2012 is one question which has been giving millions of people sleepless nights of late, but not many people actually know how it all started. Over the period of time, the 2012 end of the world has come a long way to become a major phenomenon fueled by lack of critical thinking, false beliefs, illogical assumptions and vague predictions which can be traced back to the ancient times.

Is the World Going to End in 2012?

The numerous theories that are being put forth by scientists, historians and religious texts has left the layman wondering - is the world going to end in 2012? If not, what is this hue and cry all about. In order to get the answer for that, one needs to go back into the history, and find out how the concept of 2012 end of the world came into existence. Given below are some suppositions which have made people ponder on one of the most hyped questions of our times - will the world end in 2012?

Mayan Prophecy of the Great Ages
At numero uno position, we have the Mayan prophecy which suggests that the doomsday is round the corner - 21st December, 2012, to be precise. The Mayan civilization was one of the most advanced civilizations in human history. The Mayans were well versed with the field of astronomy, and they used the same knowledge to develop the Long Count calendar. The 1,872,000 days, that the Long Count calendar consisted of, amounted to 5,125.37 years. This was one-fifth of the period of equinoxes - which occurs over a period of 25,695 years. On the basis of these very calculations, the Mayans divided the life on planet Earth into five great ages - each of which was supposed to end with a disaster. According to the same prophecy, they believed that the fifth and the last of the great ages was supposed to end with a disaster of higher magnitude that would eventually mark the end of this world. If you are wondering when will the world end this may not amuse you at all, but the present 'age' is the last of the five great ages as per the Mayan calendar. Mayan calculations have always been near accurate, and this has prompted the historians to believe that the world will end in 2012.

Geomagnetic Reversal
Geomagnetic reversal, also referred to as polar shift (though incorrectly), is yet another phenomenon which allegedly has the capacity cause some cataclysmic disaster which can bring about an end to the world. Scientific estimates suggest that our planet undergoes geomagnetic reversal every 750,000 years. The last time this phenomenon occurred was 780,000 years ago, which means we are already overdue for one. The proponents of this theory cite that the Earth's magnetic field has already started weakening to support their claim. There is no doubt about the fact that Earth is due for geomagnetic reversal, but it's not an event which will happen over a day. It takes around 5,000 years to complete one geomagnetic reversal and that is a lot of time.

Solar Storms
Some people cite that the geomagnetic reversal will be actually triggered by a super solar flare - a sudden eruption of intense radiation from the Sun. Intense solar radiations and weak magnetic field combined will result in an end of life on the planet. Those who believe that this event will mark the end of the world state that the rising occurrences of solar storms on the Sun is evidence of impending disaster. What these people fail to notice is the fact that solar maximum will be at its peak in 2013, and not 2012, and even at its peak, the intensity of the same will be much less as compared to the average intensity of this phenomenon. More importantly, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that solar maximum and geomagnetic reversal are related to each other.

Planet X Collision
This is undoubtedly one of the most talked about issue in the cyberspace, and its origin can be traced back to 90s when some websites reported that a planet named 'Nibiru' or 'Planet X' was heading towards our planet. It was alleged that the collision between the two planets will cause the world to come to an end eventually. The fact, however, is that there is no such planet known as Nibiru or Planet X - and this has been confirmed by NASA itself. It is just one of the numerous hoax calls which have flooded the Internet over the past. If there were any such planet, NASA as well as other space research agencies would have had kept a track of the same, and initiated efforts to avoid the disaster by now. Interestingly, the same planet Nibiru collision was initially scheduled for 2003, but it didn't occur and therefore people behind this hoax seem to have postponed the date to 2012.

Other Possible Reasons
While those were the most popular reasons, there also exist numerous other reasons which have made people believe that we are heading for the end of the world. Many people believe in 2012 apocalypse only because their religious texts have reference to the same. Other than misinterpretation of religious texts, the predictions made by astrologers, fortune tellers, soothsayers, clairvoyants, etc. are also responsible for fueling this myth. One example of this is Nostradamus' predictions about 2012 end of the world wherein he states that the year 2012 will be marked by numerous natural disasters which will occur simultaneously and bring the world to an end.

Will the World Really End in 2012?

Absolutely not! A critical evaluation of the various reasons mentioned above reveals that 12/21/2012 does not spell doom after all. There is no doubt about the fact that Mayans were amazing with calculations, but they never predicted the end of the world. What the Long Count calendar refers to is a mere change of an era on 21st December, 2012, and not the end of the world as people think. This is what can be termed as a classic case of misinterpretation of historical data. In 2012, Asteroid 433 Eros - the second-largest near-Earth asteroid, will pass by the Earth at a distance of 17 million miles. At that distance, it won't do any harm to our planet. The Sun will also flip its magnetic poles in 2012 - a cycle which is repeated every 11 years. None of you must have realized, but the Sun flipped its poles last in 2001. In 2012, we will also witness an annular solar eclipse (which last happened on 15th January, 2010) and the solar transit of Venus (which last happened in 2004), but neither of the two will bring the world to an end.

That must have answered all the questions about 2012 end of the world, including will the world end in 2012 and what will happen in 2012, which have been giving you sleepless nights of late. Simply put, the concept that the world will come to an end as a result of some cataclysmic disaster is a mere myth which has been blown out of proportion by many people, including some religious heads and media moguls, for their vested interests.In reality though, we will go to sleep after partying on 31st December, 2012, and wake up on 1st January, 2013, - only to laugh at ourselves for believing in this hoax call about the world coming to an end in 2012.