Did NASA really predict a blackout on 21st December 2012?

There are wild rumours abounding about NASA's prediction of a total blackout in the entire world due to a cosmic alignment. Apparently, as claimed by the rumours, there will be no electricity on that day and people should not travel during this time. Some sites (such as this one) has this eye-grabbing headline 'NASA predicts total blackout on 23-25 Dec 2012 during alignment of Universe.' When you see the page, there is an additional note that "This story has not been confirmed by CNN. NASA has debunked this myth". Yet, people continue to believe in rumours. So what did NASA really  say?

Did NASA really predict a total blackout? 
No! They merely mentioned what is known as the 'Dark Rift' - an area which is located between the constellations Cygnus to Sagittarius and which is generally in darkness.

NASA said: "...the sun appears to enter the part of the sky occupied by the Dark Rift" 
Since the Sun is what gives earth light, it has been assumed that there will be a complete blackout. Now where does NASA say that 'dark' means 'blackout'?!

If you read the text further, NASA says:
"...the sun appears to enter the part of the sky occupied by the Dark Rift every year at the same time, and its arrival there in Dec. 2012 portends precisely nothing."


- Note the words "every year at the same time": now did we have a blackout in the previous years on this date? No. That is why NASA also says "...its arrival there in Dec.2012 portends precisely nothing".


In fact, NASA also reassuringly tells us:

"Enjoy the solstice, by all means, and don't let the Dark Rift, alignments, solar flares, magnetic field reversals, potential impacts or alleged Maya end-of-the-world predictions get in the way."

So I for one am NOT going to cancel my travel plans - or any other plans for that matter - for those days in December when supposedly we are going to be in the dark. If you ask me, on the contrary, NASA has clearly shown us the light: how not to get carried away by words, neither by statements from topmost astronomical sources nor by predictions of astrologers and definitely not by rumour mongers.

Refer to the full NASA statement here.

And if you are obsessed about Dark things, then I would suggest a far better past-time than creating panic about the Dark Rift: just pick up a Harry Potter book and read about the Dark Lord!!