The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires, a thick fog, and cloud cover. The estimated end of the Sun's current phase of development, after which it will swell into a red giant, either scorching or swallowing Earth, will occur around five billion years from now. By 1554, Nostradamus’ visions had become an integral part of his works in the almanacs, and he decided to channel all his energies into a massive opus he initially titled Centuries.

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to talk doomsday forecasts, my babies, and no one grips us with grim quite like Nostradamus. That description would certainly apply to what occurred in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were devastated by atomic bombs at the end of World War Two. Chen, leader of the Taiwanese cult Chen Tao– "The True Way"– claimed that God would come to Earth in a flying saucer at 10:00am on this date.Wendell, along with other Adventist preachers, predicted the Second Coming of Christ would occur in 1873 or 1874. Morbid and dramatic though this sentiment is, it’s clear to see how spiralling living costs can and will lead to ever more desperation and strife. Tech magnate turned space entrepreneur Elon Musk hasn’t been afraid of making bold predictions about when humankind might finally set foot on Mars. The Shakers, a Christian sect founded in 18th century England, predicted the world would end in 1792 and then in 1794. Before the final collision, the Moon will possibly spiral below Earth's Roche limit, breaking into a ring of debris, most of which would fall to Earth's surface.

If you do at any point overreact there will be clear signs that you have gone too far and need to make amends. Nostradamus had predicted temperatures will rise further and sea levels would rise to unexpected levels. Within a few years of his settling into Salon, Nostradamus began moving away from medicine and more toward the occult. Sometimes on the money but more often than not muddily missing the mark, our man’s prophecies lean towards conflagration and catastrophe. Predictions of the end from natural events have also been theorised by various scientists and scientific groups.

The Great Fire was set off by a flame in a bakery, not by 'lightning', and what does the 'ancient lady' signify? Many experts believe the soaring inflation, fuel costs, and general economic tumult will continue to get worse before they get better, and Nostradamus seems to concur.