planets - 2012: Is there some astronomical event happening?

The news media has publicized that 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar, and that all the planets will be aligned. Is there any truth to this?

Answer

The answer is absolutely not. There is nothing interesting/important/rare/weird/abnormal/whatever astronomically happening in December 2012. I have written at length on this topic and a year ago summarized my posts on the subject. In those, I've covered the vast majority of 2012 doomsday or whatever claims. Besides that, though, 2012 is likely not the start of the next baktun in the Mayan long count calendar.

With that stated, one astronomical event that is rare that is occurring in June of 2012 is a Venus transit of the sun. This happens in pairs of 8 years separation with gaps of 121.5 and 105.5 years between those pairs. The last transit was in 2004, the next in 2012, the one after that in 2117.