To celebrate our new Planetarium Show 2012: Mayan Prophecies, we are testing your knowledge of the significant Maya date of December 21, 2012. How much do you know about this important day?

Are these statements TRUE or FALSE?

1. Dec. 21, 2012 marks the end of the longest Mayan time cycle.

2. The Aztecs knew about 2012.

3. In 2012, solar storms will burn the surface of the Earth.

4. Dec 21, 2012 is a significant celestial date.

5. The Maya used the 26,000-year precession cycle to predict events in 2012.

6. There will be a cataclysmic event in 2012.

7. An impending pole shift will tear the Earth apart in 2012.

8. There is a special alignment of the sun in front of the Milky Way galaxy on Dec. 21, 2012.

9. A rogue planet, such as Nibiru or Eris or Planet X, is going to destroy the Earth in 2012.

10. A geomagnetic reversal in 2012 will devastate the planet.

11. A “global awakening” is coming in 2012, leading to a societal transformation.

12. The Earth will pass through the Galactic plane.

A scene from 2012: Mayan Prophecies, Now Showing in the HMNS Planetarium!

ANSWERS:

1. Dec. 21, 2012 marks the end of the longest Mayan time cycle.
TRUE: Dec. 21, 2012 is the beginning of the 13th Baktun in the Maya Long Count. This is a day of celebration, much like Jan. 1, 2000 was for us.

2. The Aztecs knew about 2012.
FALSE: There is no archeological evidence that 2012 was significant to any other MesoAmerican civilization.

3. In 2012, solar storms will burn the surface of the Earth.
FALSE: A massive solar storm could take out a satellite, but cannot reach Earth’s surface. Also sunspot maximum will occur in 2013.

4. Dec 21, 2012 is a significant celestial date.
TRUE: Every year, December 21 is the winter solstice when the sun makes its lowest trip across the sky in the Northern Hemisphere.

5. The Maya used the 26,000-year precession cycle to predict events in 2012.
FALSE: The Maya may have observed slow changes in the sky due to precession, but this cycle was never recorded.

6. There will be a cataclysmic event in 2012.
TRUE: There will be volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes in 2012 – just like every year on our dynamic planet.

7. An impending pole shift will tear the Earth apart in 2012.
FALSE: The poles wander at a speed of about 1 degree per million years.

8. There is a special alignment of the sun in front of the Milky Way galaxy on Dec. 21, 2012.
TRUE: On the winter solstice, the sun is now in front of a dark rift in the Milky Way band, close to the direction of the Galaxy’s center as it has been for several years.

9. A rogue planet, such as Nibiru or Eris or Planet X, is going to destroy the Earth in 2012.
FALSE: Eris is now beyond Pluto. There is no Planet X. The Babylonian Nibiru was probably Jupiter. The Maya only knew Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

10. A geomagnetic reversal in 2012 will devastate the planet in 2012.
FALSE: Geomagnetic reversals do happen and we may be overdue for one. These take thousands of years to occur and are not destructive.

11. A “global awakening” is coming in 2012, leading to a societal transformation.
TRUE: Well, 2012 is a presidential election year for the United States and for Mexico and the diamond jubilee of the Queen.

12. The Earth will pass through the Galactic plane.
TRUE: The Earth will cross the Galactic Equator, but in about 27 million years.

Come learn more about Maya culture and their calendar in our new Planetarium show, 2012: Mayan Prophecies, open now.