Reality Check of Unusual Myth and Tales about Eclipse around the World
A Grahan or Eclipse is a rare phenomenon when one planetary body perplexes another body for a particular duration. Eclipses are usually associated with beginnings and endings. An eclipse always indicates a remarkable change and which may be better and leads to positive results. Ancient people believe eclipse as a bad omen which leads to untoward incidents like war, famine, etc..
A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, the moon, and the earth are in the same line and the moon will cast its shadow over Earth. This is because the moon directly passes in between the sun and the Earth. If this alignment is perfect, it is called Full eclipse otherwise it is Partial eclipse.
Solar eclipses occur only during the new moon when the lunar orbit moves between Earth and the sun. The moon will be in the right position to cast a shadow on the earth, during the total solar eclipse. As the moon moves and the earth spins, this shadow races across the surface of the earth 1400 miles an hour which creates a relatively narrow line called the path of totality. The longest duration of the total solar eclipse is 7.5 minutes.
On the other hand, a Lunar eclipse occurs as a result of the shadow cast on the moon by the earth and it blocks the sun rays reaching the moon partially. This phenomenon occurs on full moon day and causes the moon to appear dark, yet it will be illuminated in the reddish halo. This occurred in Asia and Africa on June 15 for a few hours. A Lunar eclipse occurs only on a full moon night. The longest duration for the totality of lunar eclipse is 106 minutes.
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Gullible Belief!
According to Lexicon, it is “an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear". The occurrence of strange events leads to the occurrence of strange reactions. Since there was a lack of knowledge about science during ancient times, it leads to a plethora of myths and tales. The Chinese have the tales of the dragon which eats up the sun and moon, during the eclipse. In the opinion of the cultural belief of Hindus, Rahu and Ketu eat up the sun and the moon on eclipse.
In Japan and India guns were shot and pots are banged till now, considering eclipse as Ward of negativity. People consider eclipse as an origin of abnormality. As per Bible- Christians believe that when the moon turns red during a Lunar eclipse, Apocalypse may come. In Hispanic culture, Pregnant women must not step out during the eclipse. If they are about to step out, they must wear red or either a red cloth that must be tied around their stomach or a safety pin should be attached to something red colour on their clothes.
Some culture discerns an eclipse as "the end of the world". People use to cover their food and water during eclipses to repel negativity. People of some kind don't even perform ablution and some will bath before and after the instance of the eclipse. It is believed that if the pregnant women stepped out, the eclipse will affect the foetus which leads to the deformation or birthmarks or even miscarriage will occur.
But there are no proven eclipse-related health concerns. Apart from all persons, pregnant women are asked to be cautious. Human beings are restricted to watch the eclipse with naked eyes.
Scientific Facts On Eclipse
We can't deny all myths and beliefs completely which have been believed by the people for several years. Superstitions have been around for years in the human psyche as traditional beliefs. Every person should consider some precautions before going out during an eclipse to overcome the following effects.
If an individual observes the sun with a naked eye leads to damage to the retina. During an eclipse, the sunlight would not enter the earth results in an increase in the number of microbes and germs which leads to several diseases.
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