October 31st - November 2nd is a festive time in the Americas, where we celebrate life by acknowledging the dead. The holidays of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) have long and complex histories. However, as with many holidays, the roots of these celebrations have connections to astronomy.

At Palenque, the famous Classic Maya site in the southern state of Chiapas, a poetic statement is replayed year after year in the written history as well as in the art and architecture of the site.

Perhaps the most violent of all the predictions for how the world could end in 2012 is the idea that one or more stars might explode on December 21 and wipe out all life on Earth.  

One popular suggestion for how the world might end in 2012 is that there is a “rogue planet” out there -- not in a safe orbit circling the Sun, but moving inward toward the Sun on a collision course with Earth.