Depending on who is doing the doomsaying, the actual end of the world in 2012 mythology plays out differently. Two of the more popular disasters involve collision with a hitherto unknown planet (either Planet X or Nibiru) and succumbing to solar flares that alter Earth’s magnetic field.
The salient point of the planet encounter prediction is that somewhere out in the solar system an undiscovered planet is hurtling towards an impending collision with Earth. One line of evidence used by the prognosticators is that some of the objects imaged by NASA’s Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) beginning in 1983 were “unexplained.” That part is actually true. Among the 350,000 infrared (heat-emitting) objects IRAS imaged were a few that initially could not be identified. However, those turned out to be distant galaxies and none of the objects was a large planet moving through our solar system.
Common sense dispels any remaining concern. Any large object that could collide with Earth in 2012 would have entered the inner solar system years ago. It would be easily tracked by the professional and amateur astronomers who look for comets and asteroids (and there are scads of those people). What’s more, by now it not only would be visible to the naked eye, but likely one of the brightest objects in the night sky.
Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are eruptions of super-hot plasma (electrons and protons) associated with the Sun’s magnetic field. When they interact with Earth’s magnetic field they can damage satellites, disrupt radio communications, overload electrical transmission lines and produce strong auroras. But so far, none of them has destroyed our planet. Of course, none of the proposed 2012 myth mechanisms can cause them, either.
Can solar flares reverse Earth’s magnetic field polarity? They haven’t yet. Earth’s magnetic field does protect us against cosmic rays and solar outbursts, but its polarity is not altered by them. The magnetic field is produced by currents in the Earth’s molten outer core.
And while it is true that the magnetic field reverses polarity every few hundred thousand years, as far as paleontologists can tell from fossil evidence, no mass extinctions corresponded to these changes. The last reversal occurred about 780,000 years ago. If such an event had caused disastrous global effects, not only would evidence exist, the evolution of humans would likely have been delayed to the point that we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I’m sure it will crop up again in the year 7137 when the next prophetic Mayan calendar cycle would have ended.
Facts about 2012 mythology: Bad Astronomy Website NASA Ask-an-Astrobiologist
Previous articles in this series: Mayan calendar myth – Galactic plane myth
More articles about: Bad Science – Astronomy
Comments
Ah... where to begin? 2012 although highly dramatized has some
basis in fact.
Nibiru - is a myth that was mentioned a long time ago by the Babylonians/Sumerians. Hence the wide speculation.
Yellowstone volcano and California superquake - see Dec 2008 Yellowstone earthquake swarm. With possible links to post glacial rebound or isostatic rebound due to glacial melting. See wiki.
Solar flares. Two things. A solar max is predicted for 2012 to
2015. See solar flare 1859 to find out how much damage that can
cause. Next, we are in the greatest solar min in a century. See
cosmic rays and how NASA satellite is measuring ever increasing cosmic rays in this solar min. See also passenger jet affected by cosmic rays in latest news. Finally, Earth's magnetic field is declining. Again, a basis in truth that before the Earth's magnetic field flips, it becomes weaker. How much weaker is up for speculation. Weaker magnetic field, thinner ozone, and cosmic rays. Never say it won't.
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