US space agency NASA has taken to Twitter, YouTube and Google+ to field questions from people across the globe who are concerned that the world is going to end on December 21, 2012.
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Mayan ruins at Tikal, Guatemala |
"This is just manufactured fantasy," said David Morrison, an astrobiologist from NASA's Ames Research Center via Google+, "but the truth is that many people are worried about it and many of those people do write to NASA." The space agency revealed that young people have been contacting it claiming to be terribly afraid -- they cannot eat or sleep -- and some have admitted to be contemplating suicide.
The space agency is aiming to publish clear, scientific explanations to dispel the myth, which has been given growing attention by reports on the internet and in traditional media alike. The belief is based on claims that a planet called Nibiru will magically appear and align with the Earth and eventually smash into it after completing a 3,600-year orbit of the sun.
Morrison noted: "It makes no sense, because if it was there we could see it. We'd have been tracking it for a decade or so. And by now, it would be the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. You can dispel this rumor yourself, just go out and look at the sky."
The Google Hangout, which went live on November 28, joins a dedicated FAQ section on NASA's site that clearly and methodically sets out to debunk each element of each myth currently being touted about the world's upcoming demise.
Source: yahoo.com