Planet X and 2012: “Even the Maya Are Getting Sick of 2012 Hype”

October 11, 2009

Planet X and 2012: “Even the Maya Are Getting Sick of 2012 Hype”

Filed under: conspiracy theories,doomsday,planet x — Stuart Robbins @ 8:16 pm
Tags: 2012, december 21 2012, doomsday, galactic alignment, John Major Jenkins, Mark Stevenson, maya, mayan calendar, mayan prophecy, planet x, pole shift

Introduction

Despite “finishing” my series on Planet X and 2012 over 6 months ago, new news stories and questions and interviews on Coast to Coast AM keep rolling in. The news stories are at least half-way decent, and a friend sent me the one I’m addressing today, “Even the Maya are getting sick of 2012 hype: Apocalypse Next? Experts trace fears to modern, not ancient sources.”

All posts in this series:

The Good

Most of this article is very good. I’m quite impressed with AP reporter Mark Stevenson. Well over 70% of the article is dedicated to pointing out the false prophecies and foolishness related to 2012 doomsday, and nearly half of it is dedicated to actually getting the point of view of a real live Mayan. I know — getting the opinion of someone who actually follows the religion/culture that you consider yourself an expert in … who’d’ve thunk it?

The Bad

The article does make one major mistake, though: “Once every 25,800 years, the sun lines up with the center of our Milky Way galaxy on a winter solstice, the sun’s lowest point in the horizon. That will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, when the sun appears to rise in the same spot where the bright center of galaxy sets.”

As explained in my post, Planet X and 2012: What The Sky Looks Like On December 21, 2012, there is NO ALIGNMENT WITH THE CENTER OF THE GALAXY.

The sun will lie very close to the galactic equator on the winter solstice in 2012, but the actual alignment with the equator was in 1998, and the sun at no time gets anywhere near the galactic center, AKA core. And, even if it did, an alignment means pretty much nothing. This is like saying that when I close one eye and move my finger in front of it to block out a very distant street light, or building, that suddenly disaster is going to strike me or my eye and I’m going to ¡poof! disappear, suffer a pole shift, die, or something else. In other words, even if the sun DID align with the galactic center, nothing would happen.

Oh, and for completeness’ sake, I feel as though I should also point out that the sun does align with the galactic plane 2 times every year. Perfectly aligned. Twice. Every year.

Conclusions

I suppose you may sense a bit of sarcasm in this post. Well, it being my first after coming off of a posting hiatus, me still being busy, and being a tad annoyed at all the 2012 hype that’s sure to reach a frenzy next month when the eponymous movie comes out, well, can you blame me?

Comments (13)

13 Comments »

(Oh, and for completeness’ sake, I feel as though I should also point out that the sun does align with the galactic plane 2 times every year. Perfectly aligned. Twice. Every year.)

At last somebody said it.

Comment by Steve — October 14, 2009 @ 4:44 am | Reply
This 2012 thing is getting ridiculous I mean people will be resigning from their jobs soon or jumping out of windows or something. The world has never ended before so like why should it happen now? (never thought of that did you?) Also I know someone who knows someone who is a Mayan scholar and she says the calendar just starts again. She says that the Mayans could probably only count up to 5126 anyway and then lost count so they had to start again. And planet X is obviously a hoax as it would have a proper name if it existed. I reckon that these scaremongers are just in it for the cash, like that 2012 film I bet they are just making that film for profit.

It’s like us Americans are just stupid or something. I mean it’s not like anyone else in those other countries are panicking or care is it just that us Americans are just stupid or something?

We will have a good laugh in 2013 at those 2012 hoaxers because it will be the year after and nothing will have happened. I think the Mayans were just stupid or something and now we have science and stuff.

Comment by Spud — October 17, 2009 @ 4:45 am | Reply
Ya know, it reminds me of all the hype that was spurted and splattered around prior to the Millennium and all the confusion and almost paranoia it generated. I know nothing but my instincts tell me this is just another big crock and I betcha somebody is gonna make a pile of cash off of it (starting with the coming movie). The sly will profit eh? But oh the humble shall inherit!!

And ya….I don’t blame you, Astrostud, I mean stu, to feel – what looks like – great frustration along with the annoyance you say you are experiencing. Who wouldn’t be feeling like that, what with the time and energy you’ve obviously put in trying to set some sense on the table. The result of mass understanding does not seem to have evolved, which is so silly, isn’t it? Well, we know why that is, don’t we?

It’s just that logical, factual, boring old sense doesn’t make for exciting, disasterous and terrifying and financially profiting tale telling so woe is you. Though, I for one woman, am sincerely and quite grateful to you for your explanations in plain language and especially for the time you’ve taken and spent for us logical, factual, boring old mammas, who only want sensible answers and to understand what all the fuss is about (and I’m sure you did it all for others too but I just wanna grab my piece, ok?).

Many thanks

(and I was just trying to cheer you up a bit there with that stud bit).

Yo

Comment by Yomamma — October 22, 2009 @ 9:46 pm | Reply
I wouldn’t say that Americans are stupid- I think rather that there are a lot of people who in general feel anxious, unsettled or afraid; and things like this give them something concrete to project those feelings on.A focus (even an innacurate one)is easier to deal with than free-floating anxiety…

As for the movie, well Hollywood is in the business of telling entertaining stories, not necessarily connected to facts. Folks should know better and see Hollywood for what it is, as opposed to projecting some educational function on it that it’s not claiming to have

Catherine
Foresight

Comment by foresightyourctpsychic — December 12, 2009 @ 8:38 am | Reply
Yeh, I know but Americans MUST be stupid or something otherwise they would know when someone is taking the rip out of smug 2012 ‘deniers’

Comment by spud — December 15, 2009 @ 5:05 am | Reply
Dang you, scientist guy I already told my boss I would be taking Dec. 21 2012 off to throw my end of the world party. Now I have to cancel all the kegs and hookers I ordered not to mention having to got back to work on Dec. 22
way to ruin it for me dude. Regards, Bubba

Comment by Bubba — December 20, 2009 @ 8:20 pm | Reply
HI I see you are really interested in the theories of 2012 and how to actually handle the disasters that might really happen visit this site and leave a comment good or bad on your blog. http://www.2012-disaster-preparation.com/ if you would take the time to look at my page and leave a comment good or bad I would appreciate it. It will have a lot more added to it but would like feedback from those interested like you.

Comment by 2012disasterpreparation — December 21, 2009 @ 7:49 pm | Reply
- Don’t actually believe that there’ll be the kind of diasters that 2012disastepreparation is pushing. More of an energetic transformation, really….
  C
  
  Comment by foresightyourctpsychic — December 25, 2009 @ 10:39 pm | Reply
Well, I’ve already published a blog post linking to the first page in this series. Now I just have to point people to it, and all of the conspiracy problems will be solved. I swear, I’m going to throw a HUGE party on December 21, with a gigantic hand-painted sign on my lawn saying “It’s the end of the world! Come drink all your fears away, and wake up the next morning!” or something to that effect. (I’ll be the only one not partaking, since I’m not of legal drinking age. Instead, I’ll be recording every moment real-time from a hidden camera up until 1:00 AM on December 22nd, 2010.)

I have a great idea. Everybody who comments here and has a blog should post something that links to this series. That way, everybody will be able to see that the world is in fact not going to end.

Comment by FuRrY321 — January 9, 2010 @ 3:02 pm | Reply
[…] Planet X and 2012: “Even the Maya Are Getting Sick of 2012 Hype” […]

Pingback by Planet X and 2012: Proof Earth Is Not Experiencing a Pole Shift « Exposing PseudoAstronomy — July 1, 2010 @ 9:21 pm | Reply
[…] Planet X and 2012: “Even the Maya Are Getting Sick of 2012 Hype” […]

Pingback by Planet X and 2012: My Posts So Far « Exposing PseudoAstronomy — November 6, 2010 @ 12:12 am | Reply
just a quick question. After the japanese earthquake its being reported that the axis is shifted. Yea or nea and is it can you tell by looking at the stars i.e. Would the north pole still be pointed at the north star?

Comment by anthony — March 21, 2011 @ 11:51 pm | Reply
- Anthony, the quake moved the axis by a very little amount, though larger than the previous two major quakes. In fact, they’re happy that this time it may be large enough to observationally measure. This does not mean the stars will rise and set differently to your eye. Nor even to your telescope. Nor even to most instruments. The change is still so tiny that you need incredibly precise measurements to tease it out of the data.
  
  And FYI, the north pole has never been directly pointed at the north star. It is about 3/4° away from it.
  
  Comment by Stuart Robbins — March 22, 2011 @ 12:00 am | Reply