sjadd: The Mayan's had a whole bunch of calendars representing different time periods, Dec 21 2012 marks the end of the 13th "Baktun". A Baktun covers 144,000 days, the one we are in now began Sep 20 1618.

13 Baktuns make up a "Great Cycle" or "World Age", which equates to 5125.36 years, so additionally Dec 21 2012 also marks the end of the Great Cycle that began in 3114BC.

But wait there's more! 5 Great Cycles make up a "Grand Cycle", and because we are apparently in the 5th Great Cycle, Dec 21 2012 marks the end of a Grand Cycle too (25630 years). A Grand Cycle does actually relate to a cosmic event, it is the time it takes for us to circle from one side of the Milky Way to the other (or something like that).

And all this is a basically a big excuse for the loonies to sell some books...

8d52797c436: I still find it amazing that the Mayan's were able to figure stuff like that out. It seriously can't be a coincidence...

Bernal suggests that apocalypse is "a very Western, Christian" concept projected onto the Maya, perhaps because Western myths are "exhausted."

8d52797c436: I just find it amazing that with primitive technology they were able to accomplish some pretty cool things

8d52797c436: Oh, I'm not saying that it's the apocalypse or anything like that. I just find it amazing that with primitive technology they were able to accomplish some pretty cool things, if it is true that they had a calendar that was based around incredible events like the time taken to cycle from one side of the milky way to the other.

sjadd:

"On the day December 21st 2012 at exactly 11:11 am, the earth will be in the perfect alignment with the sun and the direct center of the Milky Way Galaxy. This is a rare astrological event that occurs once every 26,000 years. The earth will also undergo a Precession of the Equinoxes by this date."

8d52797c436: See the thing is though, everyone makes fun of people for making apocalypse claims, and we all sit here and make fun of them once its over. If one of these do ever come true, it's not like we'll be able to say 'Wow dude, you got it right!!'

BurningBeard:
So we should listen to every crackpot who comes up with an armageddon scenario based on crap they made up?