Doom's Day!!! - End of the Earth!

Well many of us know about the Doom's Day and for all those who do not know about this day- 21st December,2012 is known to be as the Doom's Day as that day will be the last day of the Earth. This catastrophic day was premonitioned by many people like Albert Einstein, Chinese Civilization, Nostradamus and most importantly- The Mayan Civilization( They have never gone wrong in their predictions till now and their calendar also ends on that catastrohic day). So what do you think about the Doom's Day? Is it going to happen or not?

The significance of this date in Mayanism stems from the ending of the current baktun cycle of the Maya calendar in 2012, which many believe will create a global "consciousness shift" and the beginning of a new age. Speculation about this date can be traced to the first edition of The Maya (1966) by Michael D. Coe, in which he suggested the date of December 24, 2011, as one on which the Maya believed "Armageddon would overtake the degenerate peoples of the world and all creation." This date became the subject of speculation by Frank Waters, who devotes two chapters to its interpretation, including discussion of an astrological chart for this date and its association with Hopi prophecies in Mexico Mystique (1975). The significance of the year 2012 (but not a specific day) was mentioned briefly by José Argüelles in The Transformative Vision (1975)
Waters' book inspired further speculation by John Major Jenkins in the mid-1980s, including revision of the date to one corresponding with the winter solstice in 2012. Interpretations of the date became the subject of further speculation by José Argüelles in The Mayan Factor (1987), promoted at the 1987 Harmonic Convergence. It received further elaboration in the Novelty theory of Terence McKenna. The supposed prediction of an astronomical conjunction of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy with the winter solstice Sun on December 21, 2012, referred to by John Major Jenkins in Galactic Alignment as having been predicted by the ancient Maya and others, is a much-anticipated event in Mayanism. Although Jenkins suggests that ancient Maya knowledge of this event was based on observations of the "dark rift" in the Milky Way as seen from Earth, others see it as evidence of knowledge imparted via ancient contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The relevance of modern "dark rift" observations to Pre-Columbian and traditional Maya beliefs is strongly debated, and academic archaeologists reject all theories regarding extraterrestrial contact, but it is clear that the promotion of Mayanism through interest in 2012 is contributing to the evolution of religious syncretism in contemporary Maya communities. Psychonaut author Daniel Pinchbeck popularized New Age concepts about this date, linking it to beliefs about crop circles, alien abduction, and personal revelations based on the use of entheogens and mediumship in his 2006 book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl .

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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.

Marketing Doomsday

In three years, the world will be coming to an end according to a few misguided individuals. Doomsayers always begin their arguments using an ancient calendar (plus a heavy dose of Bible Codes, I Ching and ancient Sumerian cuneiform scriptures) to support their new and inventive way the world may end. Alas, most doomsday theories are based on over-hyped scientific misinterpretation and outright lies. Usually there is a book to sell or website to promote. After all, there is nothing more profitable than fear.

You've probably seen the prolific ads for the "2012 Comet" across a range of websites, so I decided to delve into this particular theory to see if there is any truth behind the claims that a comet (or "comet planet") is approaching Earth on a collision course. To cut a long story short, I can categorically say that no cometary impact is imminent. Any accusations of government cover-ups are to hide the poor science doomsayers are citing (much like the Planet X/Nibiru connection). If you want the long story, read on…

The Comet Threat

Before we look at the claims behind this doomsday scenario, we must first study Earth's risk of actually being hit by a comet. We know we've been hit by comets in the past, and we will most definitely be hit by more in the future, but the coast is clear for at least a few decades from a marauding comet or asteroid. In fact, meteoroids in the form of chunks of rock are far more numerous than icy comets, and we are hit by several sizeable rocky meteoroids throughout the year (take 2008 TC3, the first predicted meteoroid atmospheric impact, for example).

Although rare, planetary impacts by comets do happen. As Shoemaker-Levy 9 showed us in 1994 when 2km-wide fragments of the comet bombarded the Jovian atmosphere, we mustn't be complacent when considering a large impact event by comets or asteroids. The dazzling light show by Shoemaker-Levy 9 actually stimulated efforts to increase sky surveys for a possibly catastrophic impact event. Although a vast number of near-Earth objects (NEOs) have been identified, a very small number are considered to be a risk.

The 270 meter-wide asteroid 99942 Apophis caused a stir in 2006 when it became the highest ranking asteroid on the Torino impact hazard scale. Apophis is now expected to glide safely past the Earth in 2029, but depending on the gravitational deflection caused by Earth in 2029, Apophis could pass through a gravitational "keyhole", creating another impact possibility on April 13th, 2036. Still, the odds are not worth betting on; would you put money on a 1 in 45,000 chance of an Apophis 2036 impact?

There are other lumps of rock out there, but most are benign, and certainly not a threat to everyday life in 2012. However, we must be aware that asteroids are a very real future threat to humanity. As a result of this increased awareness, other NEOs have been discovered and tracked. Objects such as 2007 VK184, a 130 meter-wide asteroid may cause problems in the distant future, but the probability of impact is still extremely low. Astronomers from the Catalina Sky Survey estimate a few possible impact dates for 2007 VK184, but the odds never exceed a 0.037% chance of hitting Earth in the next 100 years. Other asteroids are currently being tracked and they may cause some concern over a century from now (although none surpass a Torino scale of Level 1, and if they do, all tend to fall back to the "normal" Level 0).

In short, the skies are clear from any imminent (certainly within the next 3 years) impact from an asteroid. Comets do not feature as a significant risk either. There is no astronomical evidence supporting otherwise.

This doesn't stop organizations such as ex-NASA astronaut Rusty Schweickart's B612 Foundation from planning for possible future asteroid/comet threats. While Hollywood movies would have us believe blowing a comet up with a nuclear bomb will be a very good idea, the B612 Foundation disagrees. In fact, it could be a very bad idea. The key thing to remember when reading about NEO surveys or asteroid/comet deflection techniques is that we need a lot of lead time to stand any hope of deflecting a possible catastrophic impact event. This does not indicate a concern in the near future, it is simply a prudent precaution to safeguard the distant future of our planet.

The 2012 Comet-Google Conspiracy

So, it looks like we are safe from any astronomical impact. That's not to say we won't be hit by a small meteoroid, large fireballs occur regularly (remember the November 21st Canada bolide, and the most recent December 6th Colorado fireball, the largest of which was possibly caused by a 10-tonne rocky meteoroid). Also, this is not to say we won't discover more NEOs within the next four years (we could spot a threatening object tomorrow for all we know), but the point is that there is absolutely no evidence for any civilization-ending comet impact in 2012. Any claims to the contrary are completely false.

So why are we seeing ads touting the "2012 Comet" theory? As far as I can tell, it is based on one very flimsy piece of evidence. So, lets load up Google Earth to see where the problem is…

If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you have the ability to look "up" rather than just down at the Earth's surface. Switching the software to the night sky allows you to see the constellations and will guide you and a dazzling tour of the observable Universe. Despite this overload of information, is Google hiding something? Is the huge search-engine based company actively trying to hide observations of a comet from us?

Guide Google Earth to RA:5h 54m 00s, Dec: -6° 00' 00" and zoom in. If you don't have Google Earth, this region can also be found in the online version of Google Sky. You'll see an ominous rectangular void (a.k.a. the "Google Anomaly" in the images above) right next to the Orion Nebula, south of Orion's Belt.

Note: The Constellation of Orion and therefore the "Google Anomaly" is in a very conspicuous location of the night sky, observable from northern and southern hemispheres.

This void is only apparent in the optical data; if you switch the data set to the microwave survey carried out by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), you'll find the void is replaced by data. Also, infrared data covers the region pretty nicely.

Note: This infrared view of the sky was observed by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS).

So, the theory is that Google is hiding observations of an incoming comet. But there is an added twist to the comet conspiracy theory; the comet is also referred to as a "comet planet" and therefore a Planet X candidate (but I thought Planet X was a brown dwarf candidate?). Yes, Planet X seems to be at the root of all doomsday scenarios.

I'll try to make this as quick as possible:

1) IRAS Data

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was an orbiting telescope that lasted for 10 months in 1983. It performed an infrared survey of the entire sky, churning up some fantastic observations of ultra-luminous young galaxies and intergalactic "cirrus". However, before these objects were formally identified, the media (in particular the Washington Post) hinted heavily that some of these objects could be the fabled "Planet X" in the outskirts of our Solar System. This is one of the key theories doomsayers cite as fact that Planet X exists. Using dubious logic, several authors claim these early observations prove that Planet X is in fact the Sumerian planet "Nibiru". Nibiru is therefore a brown dwarf. In this theory, death and destruction quickly follows, including the appearance of an alien race called the Annunaki (our alien ancestors) who want their planet back. Wonderful science fiction, with no roots in science fact.

So, is this "2012 comet" actually Planet X? If it is (disregarding the obvious fact that a comet is not a planet, let alone a brown dwarf), why is the Google Anomaly only a void patch in optical data? If Google and NASA were trying to hide evidence of a "comet" (by removing a region of optical data), surely they'd remove the IRAS data too? In any case, the IRAS data shows no object within the anomaly. Besides, why would Google leave a very obvious patch of missing optical data, when they could have just airbrushed the object from the dataset?

In conclusion, the Google Anomaly is in fact missing data, pure and simple. There's no comet there, and simply because there is missing data does not prove the existence of anything sinister.

2) Just Look Up

Just in case you needed a little more convincing that the 2012 comet/Planet X theory was complete bunkum, think about the location of this proposed comet. The Google Anomaly is in full view for most of the planet throughout the year as it is in the constellation of Orion, right in the neighbourhood of some of the most famous, and well-studied stars and nebulae (the Horsehead Nebula and the Great Orion Nebula for example). If anyone looks at the Google Anomaly with suspicion, why not look straight up and see for yourself? Amateur astronomers have access to very advanced optics, so I think that if there was a suspect "comet planet" in the region, it would have been spotted by now (without Google's help).

In Conclusion

The truth is that the Planet X conspiracy theory is wrong, but the 2012 comet theory is even worse. The chances of a large planet swinging through the inner solar system in 2012 has the same odds as a comet impact on that date: nil.

Well just 2 things to say to anyone who's against the theory.

1) There is Science in one place but there's also Heavenly powers in another hand. What if the Mayans are messengers from the God? Can Science battle against God?
2) What if the speed of an object which might destroy earth is so fast that it cannot be measured- you can take the speed as infinity. Maybe the object travels the same distance in 1 second which light travels in a billion years. No telescope can see such things at present. Maybe the object is unimaginably far from us and it might collide with Planet Earth on 21st December,2012 from nowhere.

In short I am not supporting the Doom's Day theory but just that you cannot even go against it.

I say if the Doom,s Day is really going to occur then we must find a solution to evade it or atleast to survive it. I think the time has come for the whole world to get united and do something for all. I mean if we continue with our squabbling and bickerings we are not going to get anywhere
The solution depends on the problem itself and also on the beliefs of people. I mean if the world is going to be doomed we need to know how exactly its going to happen and people must also believe other
people and atleast be slightly prepared for doom's day.

Well if it is the Doom's Day, then we cannot prepare for it. We cannot do anything other than increasing healthy relationships with your families and do something good which makes you proud.

It's certainly hard to predict if the Earth is gonna be doomed in 3 years or not. Because in one way, it feels that just 3 years is a short duration for something terrible to happen. But on the other side, due to intense increase in Global Warming, it "might" happen. It's too Hard to say so early.

This all just a fake scientists have given with proofs that if the earth was to end it would be some 3 TRILLION YEARS so don't even this about this silly and lame predictions