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Image description: A map of the planet Jupiter’s south pole, constructed from 36 images by NASA’s spacecraft Cassini while on its way to Saturn. The map, the most detailed to date, includes Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a massive hurricane-like storm wider than three Earths that has been raging at least as long as the 400 years that humans have been observing the planet. Currently, the Juno spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter to unlock more of the giant’s secrets.
False rumors about the end of the world in 2012 have been commonplace on the Internet for some time. Many of these rumors involve the Mayan calendar ending in 2012 (it won’t), a comet causing catastrophic effects (definitely not), a hidden planet sneaking up and colliding with us (no and no), and many others.
The world will not end on December 21, 2012, or any day in 2012.
Unfortunately, these rumors have many people frightened, especially children. NASA has received thousands of letters concerned about the end of the world. David Morrison, a planetary astronomer and senior scientist for NASA who answers questions from the public about astrobiology, says, “At least a once a week I get a message from a young person ― as young as 11 ― who says they are ill and/or contemplating suicide because of the coming doomsday.”
According to NASA, the old mystery-planet-collision rumor year was 2003, but when 2004 arrived safely, the rumors changed to 2012. So what end-of-the-world year will the rumor mill make up next?
Videos from NASA debunking end-of-the-world rumors:
Video description: The Sun unleashed a medium-sized solar flare that is visually spectacular. The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface.
Two NASA spacecrafts observed this event from three different view-points.
Video by NASA
Image description: Earth, as seen in the sky above Mars. This is the first image ever taken of Earth from the surface of a planet beyond the Moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on March 8, 2004.
