2012 Doomsday, Rapture, Apocalypse... Really?

The world is going to end today...

At least that's the running theory if you're a believer of Nostradamus or the ancient Mayans and their calendar. Both point to Dec. 21, 2012, as doomsday for all mankind.

Most interestingly, those two prophecies have resulted in an unusual cocktail of outlandish predictions from believers and "researchers" who believe the world is going to end. But they just can't seem to agree on how. Even skeptics are getting in on the action and are claiming Dec. 21, 2012, is actually going to be a day of human enlightenment rather than a cataclysm.

So what's the deal with all this apocalypse talk?

National Geographic says that according to the Mayan Long Count calendar, the Dec. 21, 2012, Winter Solstice is the end of a b'ak'tun, or a 144,000-day cycle that has repeated 12 times since the mythical Mayan creation date. The b'ak'tun that will end in 2012 is the 13th, and supposedly marks the full 5,200-year cycle of creation. Life on this world after this date abruptly ends.

Probably the most famous doomsday prophet in history, Nostradamus is best known for his book of predictions, Les Propheties. He wrote his prophecies in a poetic style, called “quatrains,” and many believe he's predicted the end of the world, too.

It's this prophecy that most believers point to as proof of our coming doom:

"The year 1999, seventh month; From the sky will come a great King of Terror: To bring back to life the great King Mongols; Before and after Mars to reign by good luck."

According to Livescience.com, it is these predictions that most believers have glommed onto, forecasting miryad ways we're going to face destruction on Dec. 21, 2012.

The most common themes include a major catastrophes as a result of a galactic alignment where the planets in our solar system are aligned. This phenomenon causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, resulting in the end of the world. (For the record, NASA says this isn't going to happen.)

Another popular scenario, according to Livescience.com, is that the Earth will undergo a magnetic field shift, reversing the polarity of the planet. The shift will cause the Earth to change its rotation, or for the core of the planet to heat up, unleashing cataclysmic events that will end humanity. This was the premise for the movie 2012, and, again, was debunked by NASA.

Speaking of NASA, according to their website, their scientists' favorite doomsday theory to debunk is the theory Earth will be destroyed when Planet X, or Nibiru, will collide with or pass by Earth on Dec. 21, 2012. NASA says if such a planet existed, we would all see it. But this is where believers say Nostradamus' quatrain comes into play. They claim NASA discovered Nibiru in July of 1999, or "the year 1999, seventh month," and that the government is hiding it. 

About the idea of a planet called Nibiru ending life on ours, NASA research scientist Don Yeomans said: "There apparently is a great deal of interest in celestial bodies, and their locations and trajectories at the end of the calendar year 2012. Now, I for one love a good book or movie as much as the next guy. But the stuff flying around through cyberspace, TV and the movies is not based on science. There is even a fake NASA news release out there..."

Other, more garden-variety predictions include an asteroid hitting the Earth and destroying it, the outcome of World War III ending the world, and, simply, the Rapture.

What do you think about the prospects of the world ending in a year?

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