The end of the world is....not happening...

There is one vital fact that seems to be missing from this thread. Who really knows when it's game over? Only intelligent replies will be considered . Don't cancel the turkey just yet

[Pierre]

Scientific consensus is that we have about 5 billion years left before the Sun turns into a red giant and burns up all life on Earth.

Providing we haven't destroyed the planet ourselves or been hit by a rogue comet, that is when the Earth will cease to be able to support life.

[Anonymouse]

Actually, we won't have to wait that long; the Sun's output is gradually increasing, and in about one billion years' time, things will be a bit too hot around 'ere.

As for the prediction - it's the specificity of the date that renders it nonsensical. What did the Mayans know about rogue planets hurtling through space, or whatever it's supposed to be? They couldn't have predicted anything that far in advance. Besides, gravitational pertubations throughout the solar system would've alerted astronomers across the world by now, if a large-enough body were on its way here. Besides, it's far more likely Jupiter would've grabbed it and turned it into yet another temporary moon. It does that.

<slightly O/T, I think>
And don't even get me started on the doomsday planners. Oh, too late; never mind. There isn't going to be a nuclear war; Russia is no longer capable of waging it - or, for that matter, inclined to. Any other country that has nuclear capability has to worry about delivery systems...and America will see it coming anyway and bomb 'em out of existence. That hardly qualifies as a 'war'.

Besides, a post-nuclear world wouldn't be worth surviving for (no trees, flowers, kittens. butterflies? Noooooooo!). Nor would we deserve to; doing such a thing would conclusively prove we were an evolutionary failure. The Earth would eventually clean itself up and carry on as if we'd never existed.

The prediction's on a par with Star Trek's ludicrous plot device of imminent life support failure, as if the crew would die immediately after the failure. There'd still be breathable air for a while, and the Enterprise wouldn't simply freeze instantly. There would be time. There would be options. I always hated those episodes.
</slightly O/T>

[Russ]

Maybe the guy who was writing the calender simply died?

[Taf]

I just realised that we have a Mayan calender hanging on our wall from a trip to Mexico.

I just realised that we have a vegetable colander hanging on our kitchen wall from a trip to Homebase...

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Russ

Maybe the guy who was writing the calender simply died?

or perhaps he simply thought going hundreds of years ahead was enough for "now", he could hardly be expected to know what a.bunch of loons the future and our much advanced culture would spew forth

I liked the documentary that basically put time since the Earth began, was put on a 24 hour clock face and we had only been around for 5 minutes of that '24' hour period.

Possible future Doomsday events (Apparently):-

The Moon is apparently spinning away from us at 3cm per year (this distance speeding up over recent years) meaning we will no longer have a stable Axis, causing the Earth seasons to vanish. Jupiter has such a strong Gravitational force that it pulls Earth's North Pole and the Earth shifts Axis causing massive tidal waves on our Planet.

The Super Volcano, currently residing under North America, actual location:- Yellow Stone National Park, erupts with such massive force that causes Dust to settle in the Earth's atmostphere for months causing Sun light to be blocked causing the Food chain to be spoiled.

Earth's Core solidifies and the Earth loses the Natural Magnetic shield, currently protecting us from Solar wind. The Sun and it's solar wind, strips the Earth of it's Atmosphere and end result, the planet looks like Mars does now.

Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies collide, it has become apparent that our nearest Neighbour galaxy, Andromeda is on a collision course with our Galaxy, in billions of years time, it may cause untold Gravational effects.

Astroid or Comet, hits Earth causing a ELE (Extinction Level Event).

Our nearest Star (Sol, or The Sun) begins to enter it's final phases of it's life by burning up it's Fuel and it expands to a Super Giant Star, it engulfs Mercury and Venus and quite possibly the Earth.

[GrimUpNorth]

Originally Posted by Mick

I liked the documentary that basically put time since the Earth began, was put on a 24 hour clock face and we had only been around for 5 minutes of that '24' hour period.

Possible future Doomsday events (Apparently):-

The Moon is apparently spinning away from us at 3cm per year (this distance speeding up over recent years) meaning we will no longer have a stable Axis, causing the Earth seasons to vanish. Jupiter has such a strong Gravitational force that it pulls Earth's North Pole and the Earth shifts Axis causing massive tidal waves on our Planet.

The Super Volcano, currently residing under North America, actual location:- Yellow Stone National Park, erupts with such massive force that causes Dust to settle in the Earth's atmostphere for months causing Sun light to be blocked causing the Food chain to be spoiled.

Earth's Core solidifies and the Earth loses the Natural Magnetic shield, currently protecting us from Solar wind. The Sun and it's solar wind, strips the Earth of it's Atmosphere and end result, the planet looks like Mars does now.

Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies collide, it has become apparent that our nearest Neighbour galaxy, Andromeda is on a collision course with our Galaxy, in billions of years time, it may cause untold Gravational effects.

Astroid or Comet, hits Earth causing a ELE (Extinction Level Event).

Our nearest Star (Sol, or The Sun) begins to enter it's final phases of it's life by burning up it's Fuel and it expands to a Super Giant Star, it engulfs Mercury and Venus and quite possibly the Earth.

You missed Geomagnetic Reversal - which is overdue/happening - depends if your a glass half full/empty sort of person

Cheers

Grim

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Hugh

I just realised that we have a vegetable colander hanging on our kitchen wall from a trip to Homebase...

i just realised what's on my wall after a trip to Ann summers

Originally Posted by Mick

I liked the documentary that basically put time since the Earth began, was put on a 24 hour clock face and we had only been around for 5 minutes of that '24' hour period.

Possible future Doomsday events (Apparently):-

The Moon is apparently spinning away from us at 3cm per year (this distance speeding up over recent years) meaning we will no longer have a stable Axis, causing the Earth seasons to vanish. Jupiter has such a strong Gravitational force that it pulls Earth's North Pole and the Earth shifts Axis causing massive tidal waves on our Planet.

The Super Volcano, currently residing under North America, actual location:- Yellow Stone National Park, erupts with such massive force that causes Dust to settle in the Earth's atmostphere for months causing Sun light to be blocked causing the Food chain to be spoiled.

Earth's Core solidifies and the Earth loses the Natural Magnetic shield, currently protecting us from Solar wind. The Sun and it's solar wind, strips the Earth of it's Atmosphere and end result, the planet looks like Mars does now.

Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies collide, it has become apparent that our nearest Neighbour galaxy, Andromeda is on a collision course with our Galaxy, in billions of years time, it may cause untold Gravational effects.

Astroid or Comet, hits Earth causing a ELE (Extinction Level Event).

Our nearest Star (Sol, or The Sun) begins to enter it's final phases of it's life by burning up it's Fuel and it expands to a Super Giant Star, it engulfs Mercury and Venus and quite possibly the Earth.

The Yellowstone park one is quite likely compared to the others, at least in the near future. It's overdue now for an eruption.

[Pauls9]

Originally Posted by Damien

The Yellowstone park one is quite likely compared to the others, at least in the near future. It's overdue now for an eruption.

Typical Americans...

First world war - late
Second world war - late
End of the world - late

At the risk of invoking Godwin's law, a militaristic political organisation that was popular in certain parts of Europe until about 1945 was known to have had similar thoughts . Sadly though, they pursued them to their logical conclusion rather than simply offering them up for discussion.

[adzii_nufc]

Mayan's that were more advanced than modern day scientists though! seems legit.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Chris

At the risk of invoking Godwin's law, a militaristic political organisation that was popular in certain parts of Europe until about 1945 was known to have had similar thoughts . Sadly though, they pursued them to their logical conclusion rather than simply offering them up for discussion.

its quite popular again in Poland especially if you like football