Planetarium hosts show on Mayan prophecies

While some people prepare for the end of the world on Dec. 21, the College of Southern Nevada's planetarium is featuring a show to dispel the idea that if anything cataclysmic does happen on that date, it will not be because the Mayans predicted it centuries ago.

The "2012: Mayan Prophecies" show guides viewers through Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tikal and Palenque Mayan cities to explain how astronomy was used in Mayan life to depict the future. The theory that the end of the Mayan calendar is a prediction of the end of the world is not true, said the planetarium's manager, Bob Pippin.

"If the Mayans were still around, there would be another calendar; they just didn't make one," Pippin said.

The film, an original production of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, says the Mayans deserted their cities long before Europeans arrived after years of drought and famine. The film also says that Dec. 21, if the Mayans were still a cohesive culture, would have been similar to modern New Year celebrations and not a doomsday prediction.

"There is no science that says the world is going to end on the 22nd of December," Pippin said.

The planetarium is running the show until Dec. 22, one day after the supposed end of the world.

"We're running the show until the 22nd, so certainly the world's not going to end," Pippin added.

Pippin said that over the years, he has heard numerous predictions of the world's demise, as far back as when he was 5 years old. It's nothing new, he said.

He said the show began in early October and has been very popular, pulling in people curious about the myth. Though the show is a couple of years old, he said it is the first time the planetarium has aired it and that it has the best explanation of the science and astronomy.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas student Kelly Abuali attended the show Nov. 17.

"I knew about the calendar system, but I liked that they talked about the (Mayans)," Abuali said.

Henderson resident Jeanne Wulforst and her husband brought her two sons to the planetarium for the first time Nov. 17. She said she was familiar with the Mayan 2012 prophecy and had talked about it as a family, but she still learned new details from the show.

"They said it was more of a celebration than an apocalypse," Wulforst said. She said she enjoyed the stargazing and might come back in the future.

The film is nearly 30 minutes long, and the planetarium recommends it for grades five or above.

The "2012: Mayan Prophecies" show runs at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at the planetarium, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. The holiday "Season of Light" show began Nov. 30 and runs at 6 and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 22 as well. There is an additional 3:30 p.m. show Saturdays. Tickets cost $6 for general admission and $4 for seniors older than 55, CSN students, and children younger than 12.

For more information, call 702-651-4759.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps at lphelps@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.