Low Chances for an Asteroid to Destroy the Earth in 2012

The Mayan calendar comes to an abrupt end on December 21st, 2012. This is the end of the what the Mayans called the "Long Count" version of their calendar. But does this mean that the world will end when the Mayan calendar runs out? Will some catastrophe strike the Earth in 2012?

Most destructive natural forces are difficult to predict. With some certainty man can predict when a volcano will erupt with a little bit of lead time. They even know when massive hurricanes are about to strike. But massive earthquakes, tsunamis, and major weather event are still difficult to predict, and these catastrophic events lead to a tremendous loss of life and property.

Despite being unpredictable, these natural calamities would need tremendous power to be strong enough to bring about an end to the world. Even if the super volcano at the Yellowstone Caldera were to erupt, then it would not quite cause the end of the world. There would be massive destruction and a tremendous impact on humans and wildlife. But it would still not quite be the end.

NASA says that our Sun is quite stable, and not about to erupt with violent flares strong enough to shatter the Earth, despite reaching a peak in our Solar Cycle. Therefore just about the only way that the Earth could suddenly meet its demise on December 21, 2012 will be by an asteroid impact.

Asteroid Apocalypse on the winter solstice 2012?
The Mayans spent generations studying the movement of the planets. They also had some understanding of the passing seasons. It is mystery as to why they abruptly ended their calendar on December 21, 2012. They make no specific mention of cataclysmic event occurring in 2012. Their "long count" calendar simply ends on that particular date. The idea that the world will end due to some calamity was created by modern day mystics and the New Age movement.

However, for one particular cataclysmic event , we should turn our eyes to the night sky. We could look for asteroids large enough to hit the earth in 2012 that would cause an Earth shattering event. Over the last decade, scientists have not only been increasing public awareness, but they have also been searching the night skies for potential space rocks with the right orbit that could come crashing into our Earth. They have made a great number of new discoveries of larger asteroids that pose a potential hazard. But in recent years, the numbers for larger Earth shattering objects have been leveling off. Most of the known larger asteroids have been plotted, and none of these pose an immediate threat to Earth.

The number of smaller asteroids being discovered has been increasing at an astonishing rate. Although these smaller asteroids may not completely destroy the Earth, they still could cause a great amount of damage.

So far, there are no Earth shattering asteroids, either large or small, that are predicted to hit the Earth in 2012. But, keep your eyes to the sky, because smaller asteroids are still being discovered nightly.

Source:
Wikipedia 2012 Phenomenon