These days, we know about and can measure the Precession of the Earth again. The cycle can be a good thing to know, since it's thought to have a subtle effect on the global climate, and Sun-Earth interaction (solar flares?). The Precession theory of climate change suggests that Global Warming and the Ice Age are influences of the current tilt of the Earth; according to it, we're nearing a small peak in Warmth, and over the next 20,000 years or so will be slowly cooling off until we hit another cold peak.
Lololololol bad science lolol.
It never gets old.
Solifuge, get me some links or logical explanation of that theory of yours or I'll call it bulshit again.
I might not have arranged things very legibly there. Still, I'm a bit confused; have you claimed that something I've said was "bullshit" before? Either way, I'll try to illustrate things more approachably, and with enough links to sate anyone's curiosity.
0) Solar Events and Earth:
Solar Events themselves have nothing to do with Earth, but how they affect us is defined by our relative position and orientation to the Sun. Thus, as with all things astronomical, knowledge of Precession would help us predict the effects of the Sun on the Earth, but is only tangentially related to predicting how Earth would recieve Solar Activity; IE the fact that it would only be visible in certain hemispheres, etc.
In summary, I think in tangents.
1) A Brief Description of Precession:
A ~26,000 year cycle by which the gravitational influence of the moon and sun creates a regular "wobble" in the Earth, as it moves through the solar system, and around the Galactic Central Point. More information about Precession
Here and
Here.
2) Precession and Climate Change:
The theory regarding Precession and climate change is attributed to the mathematician Milutin Milanković, and an overview can be found
here. It's not "my theory," but merely one I found interesting and thought to share.
3) The Olmec and the Long Count Calendar:
The oldest image we have of a Long Count calendar date, from approximately 36 BCE, was found at
Chiapia del Corzo. This would place the creation of this record during the declining years of the Olmec civilization. The calendar itself was obviously created before this time, since the date referenced it, and thus may have predated the Olmec, though we have no evidence to suggest that any civilizations predated the Olmec in the region. If you're interested in Olmec history, and are old-fashioned, you could pick up a
textbook on the subject.
4) Precession of the Equinoxes and the Long Count Calendar:
The Mesoamerican Calendar measures a series of astronomical cycles. Like ours, it measures the Solar Cycle (One Earth-Orbit around the sun; measures Years), and the Lunar Cycle (One Moon-Orbit around the Earth; measures Months). There are also Calendar Rounds, which represent every time the state of astronomical objects was the same, which occurs after a certain number of years. For instance, one of these Calendar Rounds defined a Year worth of Years. Another was likely used to measure extremely long periods of time, represented as 1/5 of the Precessional cycle. Further info on the Long Count Calendar, and the Mesoamerican numerical system, can be found
here.
Anthropologically speaking, it was likely observed using architectural and astronomical reference points, and observing how the location from which the sun rose during the Summer Solstice shifted slightly each year. They marked the start of the Precessional cycle as the time when the Sun in the sky would have been seen lined up with the band of the Milky Way, which had important religious symbolism for Mesoamericans. They saw the Milky Way as the "umbilical cord" of the world, which connected the relm of spirits/afterlife to the World. The important thing is that this date correlates with when they believed the world was created. One Calendar Round from that Long Count date equates to roughly 5,125 years. After 5 of these Calendar Rounds, 1 Precessional Cycle will have passed, and the Sun will line up with the Milky Way in the sky again.
Basically, the 2012 date signifies 1/5 of a Precessional Cycle. That is all.
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