Well, I finally figured out this "galactic plane crossing" thing. I figured, that since as Grant said, we're just barely on the rising side of this 30ish million year cycle and aren't due to cross again, then where did this "plane crossing" come from?

As near as I can figure, it's an *alignment*. According to this, the sun's position at the winter solstice in 2012 is supposed to exactly align with the galactic plane on the celestial sphere. Or something like that. I've always MEGLO'd at astronomical aligments -- when does something moving in this plane at an angle to this plane exactly line up with this other plane.....

But as near as I can tell, that is what is meant by "the sun crossing the galactic plane", and that would indeed go with the precessional cycle.

So this alignment is supposed to be a portent of doom and what the Mayan long count calendar was based upon. A "new age" starts at that marker.

Now, those of you who do know how all that stuff moving in those various planes aligns with this and that, is this true? Will the 2012 winter solstice "line up" with the galactic plane?

-Richard