Doomsday Comet?

January 12, 2009

With the passing of the New Year I invariably get e-mails asking about nothing less than the End of the World. We already survived the Y2K soothsayers. But to some people, the end is still right around the corner, as predicted from ancient writings, biblical and otherwise.

By far the so-called prophecies of the 16th century French druggie, er, druggist, Nostradamus are the biggest intellectual fraud when it comes to second-guessing the future (second only to biblical numerologists like radio evangelist Harold Camping who keeps listeners' attention by telling them that the Earth will literally go up in a ball of flames on October 21, 2011).

The latest Nostradamus-driven hysteria is that a comet is going to hit Earth on December 21, 2012. This is somehow entangled in interpretations of the Mayan Calendar which predict a comet collision, grand astronomical alignment, or some other cosmic makeover will happen to Earth on Dec. 23, 2012 (Is Dr. Seus' Grinch part of this conspiracy?)

I recently received an ominous e-mail from a Mayan calendar disciple: “The Mayan long calendar predicts 2012 to be the date the gravity of the planet Venus negatively affects the moon's lunar trajectory and causes disruptions in the weather patterns on the planet Earth. Known only as, and exacerbated by Global Warming. We need to re-engineer the moon's orbit back to a position agreeable with life on earth. This should be the sole focus of Global Warming talks and endeavors.”

Suffice to say that Venus’ gravitational pull on the moon is infinitesimal compared to Earth's pull. For all practicality both planets are nearly the same mass. But Venus, even at its closest approach to the moon, is 140  times farther away from the moon than the Earth is.  Consequently its gravitational pull on the moon is nearly 1/20,000th that of Earth's. Astronomy 101 students can calculate this, without the need of the Mayan calendar.

In light of these doomsday predictions I was bemused  to see that a team of scientist is reporting that our remote ancestor of 12,900 B.C. may have had to face global cooling --rather than global warming -- as a result of a comet collision with Earth. I doubt that if the Mayans, Mr. Camping, or Nostradamus had lived before this event they would have predicted it.

Possibly the earliest Paleo-Indian inhabitants of North America, called the Clovis people, abruptly vanished. Many of the largest animals including mastodons, saber-toothed cats, ground sloths and giant armadillos went extinct.

Climate change has long been the culprit for the extinctions. Nearly 13,000 years ago the planet's emergence from the last Ice Age came to a halt, reverting abruptly to freezing conditions for another 1,500 years. Nothing of the size, extent, or rapidity of this period of abrupt climate change has been experienced since then, say experts.

The debated smoking gun evidence for a cosmic collision comes from microscopic diamonds, called nanodiamonds. They are found in a rich sedimentary soil called a "black mat,” that dates back to nearly 13,000 years. Beneath the sooty layer fossils of animals are abundant. But just above that layer, the fossils disappear, along with arrowheads and other artifacts from the Clovis culture.

The heat and pressure from explosions in the atmosphere would have transformed carbon on our planet's surface into the tiny diamonds, say researchers James P. Kennett of the University of California at Santa Barbara and Douglas J. Kennett of the University of Oregon.

Their  idea is that a comet broke into pieces while approaching Earth. In what must have been the mother-of-all fireworks spectacles, fragments burned up and exploded over a broad area of North America. There are no telltale craters. The researchers describe several Tunguska type explosions going off in sequence, carpet-bombing North America. Each blast would have lit up the sky, brighter than the sun.

Dust from the explosions, combined with soot from continent-wide wildfires could have risen into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight to bring global devastating akin the the effects of a nuclear winter first proposed by Carl Sagan. With vast portions of the landscape burned, even those large animals that survived the sky bombardment would have died off as the food chain collapsed.

-
The idea of a comet breaking up is not conjecture. The so-called sun-grazing comets do often disintegrate into football-field sized pieces. In the early 1990s astronomers followed the breakup of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) by Jupiter’s gravitational pull. A total of 23 pieces of the comet slammed into Jupiter in July 1994. So-called crater chains are seen on the icy outer moons. These too must have been laid down by a string of comet pieces.

But a veteran of the SL9 event, planetary astronomer Heidi Hammel, recently told me that the idea of comet pieces barreling into North America all at once is pretty implausible. Impacts would have been scattered across Earth as our planet rotated, as we saw in the the SL9 bombardment.

So the bottom line is that no ancient calendar, scripture or soothsayer can predict what the cosmic roll of dice will deal us. And, evidence for past armageddons can be pretty dicey too.  Like a good insurance actuator, we can only look at probabilities, and even these are no all inclusive.

Comments

[Court Reporters]

Don't believe it... we'll be here on the 24th and opening presents on the 25th, partying on the 1st.

[John Wright]

I always thought the end would come at the hands of a comet or asteroid!

www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com

[jon]

I wouldn't be worried about a meteor in 2012 so much as the recently discovered "gap" in earth's magnetic field combined with the next expected rise in solar activity expected to be in that year.

[David]

We did not die last New Year's Eve. 31 December is the end of our calender year and we continue with 1 January. The Mayan Calender may only be a long cycle that repeats, perhaps major change but not the end of the world. It may be based on an alignment of our solar system with the Milky Way or even bigger. The Aboriginal People of Australia, without a written language, knew of the 11 year solar cycle and http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=2392191 used to give "Our concepts of meteorological science have a time span of several hundred years, whereas Aboriginal culture based on weather, flora, fauna and climate is tens of thousands of years old," For another option besides asteroid impact, read the intro and first chapter of the book "Thunderbolts of the Gods" at http://www.thunderbolts.info/ for an electrical (not just gravitational) theory of the cosmos. It answers alot of NASA's questions .....

[Jon Lee]

Actually, many people misinterpret the Mayan's prediction of the end of the world. The actual translation is "End of an Age" and some theorize that it will bring us into the dawning of a golden age -- ending the age of Pisces and into the age of Aquarius.

Check out http://www.disastercountdown.com for an explanation.

[d00d]

Sorry, but predicting the future isn't possible. The Mayans were a bunch of Indians. Anyone who looks to the Mayans for any knowledge of our future is a moron. It's no less silly than reading entrails or chicken bones.

Please remove your heads from your posteriors.

[Josh]

The whole reason the date is spoken of so much is the simple fact that 2012 is the end of the age. Nothing once so ever will happen. Any credible historical document speaking of the end of days is either jibberish or an astrological story taken literally.

[Timothy Hayes]

Don't underestimate Mayan calculations; the end of the Long Count, Dec. 25 2012 is the date when our solar system comes into alignment with the galactic center. They correctly measured the 25000 cycle as well as annual solar and lunar events. Does it mean the end of the world? No. But it does mean that the Mayan's had a sophisticated understanding of mathematics and astronomy, a visit to the many ruins in Mexico and Central America can provide evidence of that. Future prediction isn't possible, but understanding patterns and extrapolating them sure is. It might behoove you to do some research before passing judgment, which might require you to get your cranium extricated from your posterior.

[Luis]

d00d:

That's exactly what, 100 years from now, people will think about you.

Your knowledge (if any, by the way) is composed by years and years of observation, trial and experimentation.

You use Mayan, Indian (from India) and Occidental knowledge every single day. But you just give that for granted.

I dare you with your "knowledge" and no tools other than a stick and a cord, to perfectly align a Pyramid to the cardinal points.

Mayans use the 0 (you have to two in your name), a thousand years before it reached Europe in the 1,000 AC.

You must show respect to any ancient culture, no matter how disparate and crazy they may were, just by the simple fact that in someway all they knowledge has been useful of what you are today.

[joey]

@bob youre a tool

[Roger]

The bible prophesy of an Armageddon will come to pass, and relatively soon. The bible said the Jews would be scattered to the 4 winds and brought back to their homeland, which happened. It also predicted the exact circumstances around Jesus life and crucifixion. Even so, the Jews of the time failed to see it just as you fail to see it. It even predicted global warming and said that eventually people will get boils(which in the bible refers to cancer) from the increased power of the sun. That the armies of the world will be encamped around Israel just before the Armageddon, which we see happening, and also that their would be scoffers in the last days, which we see now more than ever. No one knows the day or the hour, but it will come.

[Kiran Shivathare]

I would like to serve our nature fundamentals.

[Free XBOX 360 Elite]

I watched a show on TV about this phenomena and thought it was pretty interesting. Granted some of the correlations are stretched beyond any kind a reasoning but it is fascinating to learn how advanced early civilizations really were in terms of math and science.

[matt]

"Dust from the explosions, combined with soot from continent-wide wildfires could have risen into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight to bring on a nuclear winter."

ITS NOT nuclear winter, unless its brought on by nuclear war.

[Ray Villard]

Per the hyperlink, I was using the term "nuclear winter" colloquially. I've clarified for readers.

thanks

Ray

[kason]

hi guies i am a Chinese ,nice to see you, after spent 1 hour reading the article and your comment ,i just want to say that in my opinion, Armageddon is impossible and whether the end day would come is all depend on today what wo are doing.if wo reduce carbon dioxide and damaged gas,prevent from cutting orignal trees,and increase our scientific developing speed today,our future is blight.if not ,the end day is inescapable!

[marquis]

i think the wrold will end i beleve in god and the bible dose not lie =D

[marquis]

you pepole are all crazy the wrold will end in 20000 years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D =} =)

[John]

Thanks for having a rational approach. This entire 'end of world' meme that the Discovery and History channels are promoting is annoying in the extreme and have made me change the channel.

[12/12/2012]

I read a book by David Icke, called The Biggest Secret. It describes some very scary and interesting facts of Earth's history. He also wrote a book called "The Truth Shall Set You Free".

There will be no meteor, there will be no attack by aliens (USA will try to hologram a fake invasion to induce fear onto the world population).

If you're not aware of it already, there is another race on this planet. The bible refers to them as the Nefilium, or Nephelium - the one's who refused to be born of women.

I could go into more detail, but it's stuff that even I would consider due for heavy ridicule (I still am always open to ideas).

Good news is that 2012, more notably 12/12/2012, the Sun will be in its highest solar peak for the last 1500 years. 10,000 times stronger than anything this planet has seen in a very, very long time. Our life force IS THE SUN. It is 99% of our galaxy. It's becoming the age of awakening, or coming to consciousness. We will leave our physical bodies, and into our spiritual ones. Do not be scared, this is a very great time to be present.

The only problem is that Satan and God are REAL. The Nefilium are Satan's fallen angels, and this stuff is really going on right now. Nanotechnology is becoming a reality, and they're going to use it to manipulate the masses.

I used to hate the bible and any talk of God, mainly because I thought it was a waste of time, and nothing but bullsh*t. That's because most of it IS, it has been reworded and rewritten by some very corrupt royalties and high secret society orders. BUT, if you really take the time to read and interpret it yourself, the ANSWERS are there. I don't go to church, because the church's are corrupt. I don't preach to my friends, because it's their decision. But what I've found from my own readings has given me something special, something that has been there all along and I'm only now beginning to detach myself from the woes of western society.

Don't follow the first Messiah! Satan will appear to be just like God, because he came from Heaven too! He was full of pride and ego. If you see some deity performing miracles, and your friends are telling you to follow, and you're still in your flesh body, Don't Warship/Follow it! This is the ONLY unpardonable sin. The End of this age is coming, and God's letter (the bible), and common sense, will be your only weapons against a horrible fate.

I appreciate you reading what I posted, and you're welcome to email me at shd191@gmail.com - I've been struggling with the pursuit of happiness here in America, fighting depression, battling the corrupting of knowledge in school, but I've finally found some worthwhile knowledge, and I'd love to discuss it with someone containing intelligible opinions. Thank you!

-shd191

[wikiBuddha]

The Earth's destruction is scheduled for 5,000,000,000 years from now.

Just don't go spending what money you have left before 2012, expecting the world to end.

I adhere to the one religion that promises a world of peace (on this earth)-- Buddhism (specifically the Lotus Sutra). Why are so many people religiously interested in the destruction of earth? Why so much work and suffering? Why don't we all just try to have a good time while we're here?

If you knew what life was worth / you would look for yours on earth / so now you see the light / you better stand up for your rights.

[Sam Sweiti]

Armageddon, Doomsday, The End of Time!! By whichever name you call it, it is more of a fictitious event, [will be] man made, just like we created Israel to fulfil the biblical prophecies, we will make this happen too. Not that it could happen on it's own, no, we will make it happen.
The truth is, if we can't forecast the weather for more than a couple of days, how do you think Nostradamus managed to predict centuries ahead of his time but not foresee his own destiny! All these prophecies are lies, fraudulent, and misleading. Nostradamus was either delusional or perhaps he just wrote fictions that his followers had mistakenly took for prophecies.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have very similar prophecies of the End of Time. Tragically enough, followers of those faiths are doing their best to make sure prophecies get realized as per the very common texts they believe in, and when Jesus doesn't show up, they'll genetically Clone one and say well, here he is!
We've populated this planet with over 6.5 Billion of our own kind only to make sure we end up terminating each other hoping the afterlife heaven will open its doors for us. The truth is, just like we can't prove heaven doesn't exist, we can't prove it does, so what's really driving all these people is probably their delusions, nothing more!

[davy jones]

david icke vs david bowie...

[Brandon]

Uhm, just so everyone knows, the word "Armageddon" came from the name of a small hill in current day Israel, called Tel Megiddo. "Armageddon" is not an event, it is a place, and I doubt very seriously that the end all be all conflict of our race will happen on some hill (barely the size of a wal-mart mind you) out in the middle eastern desert. The fact of the matter is, Tel Meggido is right near all the other places mentioned in the bible, so it stands to reason they picked that place only because they knew it existed. Now if an ancient book places the end of times in a place that didnt exist when the book was written, but does now, and couldn't have been known to the people who wrote the book, like some small town in f'ing Idaho, then you might wanna be worried about that. Let me know when you find a book like that...

[Anthony]

Timothy Hayes :

Practice what you preach! If you RESEARCHED the 'galactic alignment' yourself, you'd find that astronomers have confirmed we've ALREADY passed thru the center - some years ago!

I'm SOOO tired of people jumping on the Mayan Calender Bandwagon. Every new age freak and his dog has some new theory, which they can never seem to substantiate, and get all defensive when asked for some real hard evidence...

What makes people go so delusional and start to believe any trite that they read? When did people stop questioning the truth and start enjoying thinking that 'fantasy' was actually reality?