Partial Solar Eclipse Tomorrow; Myths & Superstitions

Bhubaneswar: The final last solar eclipse of the year will take place on Tuesday (October 25), a day after Diwali celebrations, and most parts of the country will be able to witness the eclipse from 4.29 pm to 5.42 pm. The maximum eclipse time will be at 5.30 pm.

“The phenomenon will occur for only 20 minutes from 4.56 pm to 5.16 pm in Bhubaneswar. Only 12% of the sun will be visible to the capital city,” Deputy Director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium Subhendu Pattnaik told Odisha Bytes.

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the Sun and the Earth but the three don’t align in a perfectly straight line. A dark shadow will appear only on a small portion of the sun’s surface on this day.

There are also many superstitions around solar eclipse or Surya Grahan. Here are some myths associated with it:

An eclipse tends to poison food prepared and eaten during the event

Though scientists say it is perfectly safe to eat, drink and carry out daily activities during the eclipse, it is believed that food consumed during this period may cause indigestion and an upset stomach. A few researchers have accepted the fact that eating during the eclipse period causes indigestion.

The radiation released during the eclipse is said to affect the food and give birth to bacteria, which when consumed may cause disorder and may lead to diseases. A few tulsi leaves are put in the pots of cooked food before the grahan begins since it has anti-bacterial properties and can prevent the growth of bacteria.

Science claims that this is related to the false idea of harmful solar rays being emitted during the eclipse and If that was the case, the same radiation would harm the food in your pantry, or crops in the field.

A total solar eclipse produces harmful rays that can cause blindness

Scientists at NASA say this is not true. During a solar eclipse when the disk of the moon fully covers the sun, the brilliant corona emits only electromagnetic radiation, though sometimes with a greenish hue. Being a million times fainter than the light from the sun itself, there is nothing in the coronal light that could cross 150 million km of space, penetrate our dense atmosphere, and cause blindness. They do, however, warn against watching the sun before totality as it can cause retinal damage.

“There is no danger in viewing the sun undergoing this process but people should not look at the eclipse with naked eyes and instead use solar spectacles,” said Pattnaik.

Pregnant women should not watch an eclipse because it can harm the baby

Scientists say this belief is related to the previous false notion that harmful radiations are emitted during a total solar eclipse. The electromagnetic radiation from the corona, seen as light, is perfectly safe, they assure.

Another belief, and a classic one, is that eclipses are bad omens and harbingers of something very bad

According to psychologists, this notion is related to what is called “Confirmation Bias” —We tend to remember all the occasions when two things happened together, but forget all of the other times when they did not.