The Mayan Calendar measures a Long Year.
A Long Year is 26,000 orbits of the Earth around the Sun.
One Earth orbit of the Sun is one Earth Year.
An Earth Year ends on the 31st December, every year.
The Mayan Calendar ends on the 21st December 2012.
It starts again on the 22nd December 2012, which is the first day of a new Long Year.
The 22nd December 2012 is a Mayan New Year’s Day.
The end of a Long Year is co-incidental with the alignment of the Earth, the Sun and the Galactic Centre on the Winter Solstice.
On the Winter Solstice of 21st December 2012, the sun will rise above the horizon and be in direct alignment with the exact centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Due to the rotation of the Heliosphere around the axis of our Sun, this will not occur for another 26,000 years, at which time it will mark the end of another Long Year of the Mayan Calendar, should the Maya still be here to celebrate it.
This is wonderful to read that the next long year begins on 22 Dec, 2012. I always felt that if one calender ends on 21, why not next one begin the next day, as usually is. What is the purpose of all the prophecies of world ending on 21 Dec 2012? rose