These space cameras will be keeping an eye on the planet on Dec. 21.
By Rebecca Boyle Posted 12.20.2012 at 6:21 pm 17 Comments

Treat It Well, Beacuse It Ain't Over Yet
Treat It Well, Because It Ain't Over Yet This "blue marble" image of the Earth was taken from the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Suomi NPP satellite. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012. NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring

It’s kind of amazing how many people are still upset about the supposed forthcoming end of the world tomorrow, which the government is supposedly hiding from us. Just to ease more people’s apparently confused minds, the Slooh space camera is broadcasting views from our solar neighborhood in real time. Just in case.

Several seemingly sound explanations exist for the absurd notion that civilization will end tomorrow, Dec. 21, 2012, the end of the 5,125-year “long-count” Mayan calendar. These include a catastrophic solar flare related to the solar maximum; some kind of interaction with a black hole; a hidden second sun, or second planet called Nibiru, impacting Earth; and so on. The Slooh space camera, which broadcasts live telescope coverage of astronomical phenomena from telescopes in the Canary Islands, is addressing them.

To be clear, the Mayan calendar does not, nor did it ever, predict the end of the world. It’s a page flip, from the 13th to the 14th baktun, the Slooh team notes. Like how you're getting a new 2013 calendar for the holidays, but you haven't put it up yet.

“Mesoamerican scholars insist the Maya never suggested such a calendar change would be apocalyptic, but Slooh will be on hand to scientifically either greet the uneventful arrival of Friday, or to bring live views of the end of the world,” a Slooh news release reads. Slooh's coverage will include a global panel of scientists monitoring several observatories.

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Science, Rebecca Boyle, 2012, apocalypse, doomsday, mayans
For instance, “Doomsday Scenario #2” holds that Earth will be hit by a near-Earth object, such as an asteroid or comet that the government is hiding from us. “Using our facilities, we will explore the night sky for unknown celestial activity,” Slooh promises.

Scenario #3 holds that a gigantic solar flare will engulf our helpless rock. Slooh is linking to Prescott Observatory in Arizona, which is providing a world-class view of the sun in real-time and in true color. You can see it live here.

NASA has also taken up an aggressive campaign to convince people to not be so ridiculous. There’s a nice curated list available here, with some appropriately caustic questions and answers. “If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist,” NASA writes.

The agency also produced a cache of videos dated Dec. 22 and explaining “why the world didn’t end yesterday,” like this one:

All this reasoning has not convinced everyone, however. NASA’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, which have been aggressively campaigning for the truth--that it’s gonna be a boring day--are full of comments from people who truly believe something will happen. In that case, here’s hoping Slooh’s live views will calm people down.

17 Comments

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Robot
12/20/12 at 6:42 pm

YEA! tomorrow is a paid day and a Friday.
I get to sleep in Saturday and go shopping too!
No worries!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Tygrys
12/20/12 at 6:48 pm

hey, I've got an Erro #2046 on the video, hmm I guess the world did end.

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Jackson0458
12/20/12 at 6:54 pm

Who are you really trying to convince?

I think deep down, you're scared. Hahaha

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redoubt
12/20/12 at 9:15 pm

The virtue and perfection of cynicism is that you are rarely if ever wrong and never at all disappointed if you are. In this case, it works even better because this end of the world scenario is a total blow to everyone who has dabbled in it, either in support or denial.

I mean, when NASA starts wading into cesspools like this, you know they've fallen. The entertainment value is priceless. And here now, too, PopSci. Ignoring the ridiculous would have left them out of the pop-culture loop so, regardless of the shame of even approaching the subject, they got their toe-zees wet.

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zerox012
12/20/12 at 9:40 pm

Not end I'm sure, but change in a big way.

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TIMGG
12/21/12 at 12:43 am

I am willing to bet anyone any amount of money that the world will not end on the 21st.

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rlb2
12/21/12 at 12:57 am

I think the myans were spooked by the thought of the fiscal cliff, and thought that would contribute to the end of time.

Of course it could be as simple as this:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nEyCv7AsTpo/UM-7K5osW1I/AAAAAAAAEBM/CQuvDpADUTE/Myan%252520calender.png

Ron Bennett

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El Guapo
12/21/12 at 2:35 am

Well...it's 1:34am 12/21/12. Were still here. Ha,ha,ha.

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gizmowiz
12/21/12 at 8:19 am

What will never end is the gullibility of mankind. Religions are proof of that.

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Robot
12/21/12 at 8:51 am

I am going to miss this Mayan day 21st December 2012..... sigh.
It gave us all so much to talk about, lol.

God bless everyone and I wish you many
wonderful tomorrows and a Merry Christmas too!

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TheKID11
12/21/12 at 8:57 am

Hooray. Still alive. Wooty woot!

Did anyone see that article a few weeks ago (not on popsci) that mentioned the discovery of mayan drawings and glyphs on the walls of an excavated home (I forget the details exactly), and how it helped explain what the end of the calender might have actually meant? It was something about rival rulers, one of which who lost support and so they decided that the mark of the new age or end of the calender would mark a change in political power.

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Robot
12/21/12 at 9:02 am

To all who are making cheers today, still alive, lol, today is the last day and it's tomorrow which is supposed to not happen.

Of course the Mayan calendar is 5124 years long and that in my mind comes from an optimistic society\culture, which would just celebrate today and yes celebrate tomorrow with a NEW Mayan calendar beginning tomorrow and lasting another 5124 years, OPTIMISTCALLY!

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Baaron
12/21/12 at 10:22 am

NASA shouldve trolled us all and sent out footage of the earth getting destroyed.... wouldve been funny to see someone freak out watching it... then realize they are still here

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Space
12/21/12 at 11:08 am

OMG!

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HBillyRufus
12/21/12 at 11:16 am

Baaron, that would be hilarious, if someone hacked the data feed and replaced it with footage of the Earth exploding!

Anyhow, seriously folks, I hope these real-time views of Earth and the solar system remain available for general use after all this hype is over.

There are some cool time-lapse movies made from the DISH network satellite view of Earth. You can see the change of seasons, the solstice, and the moon's shadow on the Earth during a solar eclipse.

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Robot
12/23/12 at 10:24 am

Happy 2nd new Mayan calendar day!
5124 towards a new future!

God bless all and Merry Christmas too!

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Robot
12/26/12 at 9:04 am

"...Looks like we made it ..." ~BARRY MANILOW


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