2012 apocalypse
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| − | The '''2012 Apocalypse''' is the belief that the civilization as we know it will come to an end in 2012. This bizarre idea is based on the Mayan calendar,<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-03-27-maya-2012_n.htm</ref> which ends on the date corresponding to our December 21st 2012 CE. The belief that this is a prediction of the world ending was something akin to believing [[Y2K|the world is going to end on December 31st 1999]] because the year 2000 starts with a 2 instead of a 1. An even more apt description is it is the equivalent to believing the world will end because you have to throw away this year's calendar, and go out and buy one for next year. A number of pop culture books and websites have tried to give this idea some [[Science|scientific]] support,<ref>http://www.apocalypse2012.com/</ref> but as per normal with [[pseudoscience]], only the evidence that fits the belief is cited. | + | The '''2012 Apocalypse''' is the belief that the civilization as we know it will come to an end in 2012. This bizarre idea is based on the Mayan calendar,<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-03-27-maya-2012_n.htm</ref> which ends on the date corresponding to our December 21st 2012 CE, as well as the fact that [[Sarah Palin]] may run again that year. The belief that this is a prediction of the world ending was something akin to believing [[Y2K|the world is going to end on December 31st 1999]] because the year 2000 starts with a 2 instead of a 1. An even more apt description is it is the equivalent to believing the world will end because you have to throw away this year's calendar, and go out and buy one for next year. A number of pop culture books and websites have tried to give this idea some [[Science|scientific]] support,<ref>http://www.apocalypse2012.com/</ref> but as per normal with [[pseudoscience]], only the evidence that fits the belief is cited. |
==The three Mayan calendars== | ==The three Mayan calendars== | ||
Revision as of 05:05, 1 February 2009
| Style over substance |
| Popular pseudosciences |
| Random examples |
The 2012 Apocalypse is the belief that the civilization as we know it will come to an end in 2012. This bizarre idea is based on the Mayan calendar,[1] which ends on the date corresponding to our December 21st 2012 CE, as well as the fact that Sarah Palin may run again that year. The belief that this is a prediction of the world ending was something akin to believing the world is going to end on December 31st 1999 because the year 2000 starts with a 2 instead of a 1. An even more apt description is it is the equivalent to believing the world will end because you have to throw away this year's calendar, and go out and buy one for next year. A number of pop culture books and websites have tried to give this idea some scientific support,[2] but as per normal with pseudoscience, only the evidence that fits the belief is cited.
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The three Mayan calendars
There are basically three Mayan calendars which are important here (we will ignore the Venus one):
- The 260 days long calendar called Tzolk'in, which is used for religious ceremonies and is divided into 20 weeks of 13 days.
- The 365 day long calendar called Haab', which is used for planting crops.
- The Long Count calendar.
Every 52 Haab', the Haab' and Tzolk'in begin on the same day. This is know a calendar round. The Mayans named a day based on its position in both the Haab' and the Tzolk'in. As a result the Mayans could only record dates for 18,980 days, one for each day in the round, which should have seen the average Mayan through most of their life. However, being extremely pedantic people this was not enough days for Mayans, so they created the Long Count calendar.
The Long Count calendar counts the number of days since creation, August 11, 3114 BCE, in base twenty, with one exception.
August 11, 3114 BCE is 0.0.0.0.0 on the Long Count. August 12, 3114 BCE is 0.0.0.0.1; August 30, 3114 BCE is 0.0.0.0.20 and August 31, 3114 BCE is 0.0.0.1.0 on the Long Count.
However the second number from the right the uinal only goes to 18. As 18 times 20 is 360 days, 0.0.1.0.0 or 1 tun represents approximately one year.[3]
December 20 2012 CE will be 12.19.19.17.19 and December 21st 2012 CE will be (shock horror) 13.0.0.0.0. According to the Mayan creation myth, we are living in the 4th world and the previous one ended on 12.19.19.17.19. It is disputed whether the calendar roles over again back to 0.0.0.0.0 or whether it continues 13.0.0.0.1, although for some reason the Mayans thought it was important enough to record events, such as eclipses, that would occur after December 21st 2012 CE, so they didn't seem worried. In fact the Mayans had a unit of time alautun which corresponds to about 63 million years, or 1.0.0.0.0.0.0.0 on the Long Count (told you they were pedantic).
Other temple markings seem to indicate that this maybe a shortened had version of the calender as at least on temple put August 31, 3114 BCE as 13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0, if this the number of days since the universe began the Mayans had a much higher estimate then is currently agreed upon.
Basically, if everything is fine the morning of December 22nd, 2012 then we can finally put this nonsense to rest and go back to throwing wild parties.
Interesting enough 11:11 December 21, 2012 UTC is when the Summer (or if you don't live on the Mayans' side of the world, Winter) Solstice will occur that year; so you might want to have a quick look up at the sky at that point.
Pop culture
The comic strip Wapsi Square uses the 2012 apocalypse as a major plot unifying point, though this was not revealed until well into the comic's run. It also presents the lead character, Monica, as a confirmed skeptic who considers the weird "supernatural" things she encounters on a daily basis as simply a part of her world she doesn't understand yet.
Politics
A much more dire apocalypse would be triggered by the election of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to the White House in 2012.