2012 | Universe Today

In a rather cruel media ploy, the creators of the upcoming science fiction movie "2012" are purposely feeding the flames of internet panic about the ridiculous claims that the world will end in 2012. This viral marketing campaign has created fake science websites and encourages people to search for “2012” on the Web. While there are many websites, like Universe Today, which provide solid and methodical evidence that the 2012 hysteria is complete nonsense, hordes of other sites out there are full of gobbledygook and a gross misstating of what they claim to be scientific evidence that some astronomical event will decimate our planet. Why are these hoaxers doing this? For the oldest reason ever: for profit and notoriety. If you visit their websites, most are trying to sell books or videos.

For those reading this article because you have concerns about 2012, we encourage you to read our complete series of articles on 2012, and it won't cost you a thing. The articles were written by Dr. Ian O'Neil, who has a PhD in solar physics. Additionally, below is a list of other resources that should help answer any questions or concerns you may have on this topic:
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If Planet X was out there, where would it be? This question posed by an Italian researcher turns out to be a lot more involved than you'd think. As opposed to all the 2012 idiocy hype flying around on the internet, this research is actually based on a little thing called science. By analysing the orbital precession of all the inner-Solar System planets, the researcher has been able to constrain the minimum distance a hypothetical object, from the mass of Mars to the mass of the Sun, could be located in the Solar System. As most of the astronomical community already knows, the two purveyors of doom (Planet X and the Sun's evil twin, Nemesis) exist only in the over-active imaginations of a few misinformed individuals, not in reality…
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The world is not going to end in 2012. If anyone reading this has any doubt about that, you need to read each and every one of Ian O'Neill's articles here on Universe today about every facet of the 2012 mania. And then if you still have any doubts, here's another voice you might recognize who will tell you the same thing: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson of the Hayden Planetarium and NOVA ScienceNow, has a few choice words for the entities out there spreading fear and disinformation (and looking to make a few bucks along the way) about everything that could possibly (not) happen in 2012.

I also recommend listening to the February 2, 2009 edition of The Planetary Society's Planetary Radio, where David Morrison, Interim Director of the Lunar Science Institute and Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan have a discussion (near the end of the show) about how the completely false claims of the 2012 fear mongers are needlessly scaring people. Its sobering.

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According to 2012 doomsday proponents, something big is out to get us. By "something big" I mean some uncontrollable cosmic entity (i.e. Planet X, Nibiru or a "killer" solar flare), and by "us" I mean the whole of planet Earth. Pinning 2012 doomsday scenarios on the end of the ancient Mayan "Long Count" calendar appears to be growing momentum amongst authors, websites, documentaries and (my personal favourite) YouTube videos. According to them, something bad is going to happen on or around December 21st 2012. Probably the most interesting difference between the 2012 doomsday scenario and the doomsday prophecies of the past is that almost every possible (and impossible… or implausible) harbinger of doom is being suggested as a planet killer.

So, in this sixth article addressing another astronomical doomsday scenario, I will look at the theory that there is a comet currently out there in deep space, slowly making its final approach on its parabolic orbit toward Earth. But before you get worried, you'll be glad to hear that the 2012 cometary impact theory is as watertight as a teabag; there is no object observed out there and there is certainly no evidence to suggest there could be a comet impact in 2012… and here's why…
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Because of the huge number of comments on this article, it was slowing down the server. I've created a separate thread here where people can continue their discussions on the story.

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Apparently, on December 21st 2012, our planet will experience a powerful event. This time we're not talking about Planet X, Nibiru or a "killer" solar flare, this event will originate deep within the core of our planet, forcing a catastrophic change in our protective magnetic field. Not only will we notice a rapid reduction in magnetic field strength, we'll also see the magnetic poles rapidly reverse polarity (i.e. the north magnetic pole will be located over the South Pole and vice versa). So what does this mean to us? If we are to believe the doomsayers, we'll be exposed to the vast quantities of radiation blasting from the Sun; with a reversing magnetic field comes a weakening in the Earth's ability to deflect cosmic rays. Our armada of communication and military satellites will drop from orbit, adding to the chaos on the ground. There will be social unrest, warfare, famine and economic collapse. Without GPS, our airliners will also plough into the ground…

Related 2012 articles:

• 2012: No Geomagnetic Reversal (posted October 3rd 2008)
• 2012: No Killer Solar Flare (posted June 21st 2008)
• 2012: Planet X Is Not Nibiru (posted June 19th 2008)
• 2012: No Planet X (posted May 25th 2008)
• No Doomsday in 2012 (posted May 19th 2008)

Using the Mayan Prophecy as an excuse to create new and explosive ways in which our planet may be destroyed, 2012 doomsayers use the geomagnetic shift theory as if it is set in stone. Simply because scientists have said that it might happen within the next millennium appears to be proof enough that it will happen in four years time. Alas, although this theory has some scientific backing, there is no way that anyone can predict when geomagnetic reversal might happen to the nearest day or to the nearest million years…
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Because of the enormous amount of comments to this article, I've had to move the comments to a separate thread, because the page was slowing down the server. You can continue commenting here.

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We could be in for a huge firework display in 2012. The Sun will be approaching the peak of its 11-year cycle, called "solar maximum", so we can expect a lot of solar activity. Some predictions put the solar maximum of Solar Cycle 24 even more energetic than the last solar maximum in 2002-2003 (remember all those record breaking X-class flares?). Solar physicists are already getting excited about this next cycle and new prediction methods are being put to good use. But should we be worried?

Related 2012 articles:

• 2012: No Geomagnetic Reversal (posted October 3rd 2008)
• 2012: No Killer Solar Flare (posted June 21st 2008)
• 2012: Planet X Is Not Nibiru (posted June 19th 2008)
• 2012: No Planet X (posted May 25th 2008)
• No Doomsday in 2012 (posted May 19th 2008)

According to one of the many Doomsday scenarios we have been presented with in the run-up to the Mayan Prophecy-fuelled "end of the world" in the year 2012, this scenario is actually based on some science. What's more, there may be some correlation between the 11-year solar cycle and the time cycles seen in the Mayan calendar, perhaps this ancient civilization understood how the Sun's magnetism undergoes polarity changes every decade or so? Plus, religious texts (such as the Bible) say that we are due for a day of judgement, involving a lot of fire and brimstone. So it looks like we are going to get roasted alive by our closest star on December 21st, 2012!

Before we go jumping to conclusions, take a step back and think this through. Like most of the various ways the world is going to end in 2012, the possibility of the Sun blasting out a huge, Earth-damaging solar flare is very attractive to the doomsayers out there. But let's have a look at what really happens during an Earth-directed solar flare event, the Earth is actually very well protected. Although some satellites may not be…
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Filed under: 2012, Earth, Solar Astronomy | 115 Comments »

The Solar System's outer reaches still contain many minor planets yet to be discovered. Ever since the search for Planet X began in the early 20th Century, the possibility of a hypothetical planet orbiting the Sun beyond the Kuiper Belt has fuelled many Doomsday theories and speculation that Planet X is actually the Sun's long lost binary sibling. But why the fear about the Planet X/Doomsday combination? Surely Planet X is just an unknown, hypothetical object and nothing sinister?

Related 2012 articles:

• 2012: No Geomagnetic Reversal (posted October 3rd 2008)
• 2012: No Killer Solar Flare (posted June 21st 2008)
• 2012: Planet X Is Not Nibiru (posted June 19th 2008)
• 2012: No Planet X (posted May 25th 2008)
• No Doomsday in 2012 (posted May 19th 2008)

As I've previously discussed in "2012: No Planet X", doomsayers have linked the modern day search for Planet X, the ancient Mayan 2012 Prophecy and the Sumerian mythical planet Nibiru, culminating in bad news for December 21st 2012. However, the astronomical evidence for these links is seriously flawed.

Yesterday (Wednesday, June 18th), Japanese researchers announced news that their theoretical search for a large mass in the outer Solar System has produced results. From their calculations, there might just be a planet, possibly a bit bigger than a Plutoid but certainly smaller than Earth orbiting beyond 100 AU from the Sun. But before we get carried away, this is not Nibiru, this is not proof of the end of the world in 2012; it is a new and very exciting development in the search for minor planets beyond the Kuiper Belt…
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Apparently, Planet X (a.k.a. Nibiru) was spotted by astronomers in the early 1980's in the outermost reaches of the Solar System. It has been tracked by infrared observatories; seen lurking around in the Kuiper Belt and now it is speeding right toward us and will enter the inner Solar System in 2012. So what does this mean to us? Well, the effects of the approach of Planet X on our planet will be biblical, and what's more the effects are being felt right now. Millions, even billions of people will die, global warming will increase; earthquakes, drought, famine, wars, social collapse, even killer solar flares will be caused by Nibiru blasting through the core of the Solar System. All of this will happen in 2012, and we must begin preparing for our demise right now…

As investigated in my previous article "No Doomsday in 2012", a lot of weight had been placed on the end of an ancient Mayan calendar, the "Long Count". According to this calendar and Mayan myth, something is going to happen on December 21st, 2012. Now the world's Planet X supporters seem to have calculated that this hypothetical, deadly planet will arrive from a highly eccentric orbit to wreak gravitational havoc on Earth, sparking geological, social, economic and environmental damage, killing a high proportion of life… in 2012.

Related 2012 articles:

• 2012: No Geomagnetic Reversal (posted October 3rd 2008)
• 2012: No Killer Solar Flare (posted June 21st 2008)
• 2012: Planet X Is Not Nibiru (posted June 19th 2008)
• 2012: No Planet X (posted May 25th 2008)
• No Doomsday in 2012 (posted May 19th 2008)

I'm sorry, but the "facts" behind the Planet X/Nibiru myth simply do not add up. Don't worry, Planet X will not be knocking on our door in 2012 and here's why…
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Filed under: 2012, Earth, Observing | 1 Comment »

Apparently, the world is going to end on December 21st, 2012. Yes, you read correctly, in some way, shape or form, the Earth (or at least a large portion of humans on the planet) will cease to exist. Stop planning your careers, don't bother buying a house, and be sure to spend the last years of your life doing something you always wanted to do but never had the time. Now you have the time, four years of time, to enjoy yourselves before… the end.

So what is all this crazy talk? We've all heard these doomsday predictions before, we're still here, and the planet is still here, why is 2012 so important? Well, the Mayan calendar stops at the end of the year 2012, churning up all sorts of religious, scientific, astrological and historic reasons why this calendar foretells the end of life as we know it. The Mayan Prophecy is gaining strength and appears to be worrying people in all areas of society. Forget Nostradamus, forget the Y2K bug, forget the credit crunch, this event is predicted to be huge and many wholeheartedly believe this is going to happen for real. Planet X could even be making a comeback.

Related 2012 articles:

• 2012: No Geomagnetic Reversal (posted October 3rd 2008)
• 2012: No Killer Solar Flare (posted June 21st 2008)
• 2012: Planet X Is Not Nibiru (posted June 19th 2008)
• 2012: No Planet X (posted May 25th 2008)
• No Doomsday in 2012 (posted May 19th 2008)

For all those 2012 Mayan Prophecy believers out there, I have bad news. There is going to be no doomsday event in 2012, and here's why…
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Filed under: 2012, Earth | 1 Comment »

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