NASA Insists World Will Not End on Dec. 21 in 'Mayan Apocalypse'

Mayan 2012 Prophecy Wrong, According to Scientists Who See No 'Cosmic Danger'

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration reassured concerned citizens on Wednesday that the long-rumored Mayan Apocalypse, which is the belief that life will come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, has no basis in science and that there is no evidence there will be any cosmic danger on that day.

"There is no true issue here," David Morrison, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center, said during a NASA Google+ Hangout event on Wednesday. "This is just a manufactured fantasy."

The 21st of December, which also happens to mark the Winter Solstice, the day when the Sun will appear at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon, has long been believed by some to signify the end of the world, based on the Mayan calendar. The ancient civilization composed calendar cycles that encompassed hundreds of years, with the last cycle, the 13th one, ending on Dec. 21, 2012.

There has been much debate about what the end of this 13th cycle will mean, but no concrete evidence has ever been found to suggest that the Mayans were prophesying the end of life on Earth. This has not stopped many from worrying about what possible apocalyptic events on that day, with various theories about the end of the world predicting doomsday scenarios, such as a hidden planet from behind the Sun colliding into Earth. Read more

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