The end of the world

Worried the end of the world is coming on Friday? A new video from NASA will calm your fears, citing "the whole thing is a misconception from the very beginning."

According to news reports circulating for years, an ancient Mayan prophecy named Friday, Dec. 21 2012 as the day the world would come to an end. The NASA video says one cycle of the Mayan ends on this day, but that doesn't mean the Earth will cease to exist.

"Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012," NASA said in a statement on its webpage dedicated to questions about Dec. 21. "This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar."

The video comes shortly after NASA held a Google+ Hangout to discuss the topic. NASA scientist Don Yeamans stated no known asteroids, comets or rogue planets are headed toward the Earth. (If this was the case, we would already be able to see it in the sky). And the sun isn't a threat now either.

"The world will not end in 2012," NASA said. "Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012."

So will the world end on Dec 21? We'd soon find out