Doomsdays come and go, and they all leave Earth alone. This Friday's Mayan Apocalypse echoes public concern from 1910, when Halley's comet was supposed to poison the planet

I have a new post over at my Across the Universe blog for The Guardian.

“In case you haven't heard, the world ends tomorrow. Friday 21 December 2012 is the date that the Maya Long Count Calendar reads "thirteen b'aktun". This has somehow snowballed into a full-blown doomsday prophecy with the apocalypse involving – against all verifiable evidence – black holes, solar flares, previously unknown planets, and comets targeting Earth.

Comets have long been thought harbingers of disaster. As recently as 1910, Halley's comet was the subject of great public concern. Although it has nothing to do with the present Mayan Apocalypse, the parallels are interesting. ...”

You can read the full post here.