For a long period number of myths and superstitions about the event of the eclipse take place, here we are going to solve the Mystery Of Solar Eclipse.
Table of Contents
Introduction:
In the event of an eclipse such as a solar eclipse, there is several superstitions and myths among the people for a long period but even now in this modern world these superstitions are common there are several examples some say that they shouldn’t eat, some say that you shouldn’t go out, some say that you shouldn’t pray during the eclipse, some peoples also say that you shouldn’t sleep.
shouldn’t start anything new, there are many such superstitions in this blog we will try to explain in detail about what is eclipse and how it takes place and also about the myths and superstitions and we will try to make you understand scientifically.
What is Eclipse?
If you had paid attention in science class at school, you would know the basic reason for solar and lunar eclipses. But some things aren’t explained properly in school, which then creates some confusion. We know that the moon revolves around Earth. And the Earth revolves around the Sun. And what about the Sun? Does it remain still at its place? No! Sun revolves around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
In fact, along with the Sun, our entire Solar System revolves around the Milky Way Galaxy. You might wonder why Earth revolves around the Sun. The reason for this is that 99.8% of the mass of our Solar System, is in the Sun.
Due to this mass, the Sun has an extremely strong gravitational force. This gravitational pull acts on all planets. But why then does the Earth not ram into the Sun due to this force? The reason is the inherent speed of the Earth.
And the Earth’s speed is sideways as compared to that of the Sun. So, the Earth is under the influence of sideways momentum. The speed is 67,000 miles per hour.30 kilometers every second. But this remains balanced due to this sideways momentum. Without this, the Earth would have collided with the Sun. In the same way, there is a Supermassive Black Hole at the center of the Milky Way, with a huge gravitational pull, due to which the Sun is revolving around the Milky Way Galaxy.
Next, you may wonder why does the Moon revolve around the Earth? And why not around the Sun?
But think about this once, the moon isn’t revolving only around the Earth. Since the Earth is revolving around the Sun, The Moon is revolving around the Sun too. The only difference is that it has a spiral orbital path. So, amid these revolutions, sometimes, the three objects get into a straight line.
If in this straight line, the Earth is the one in the middle, Earth’s shadow falls on the moon, and we call it a lunar eclipse. But if in this straight line, the moon is between the Sun and Earth, from our perspective on the Earth, the Sun gets hidden behind the Moon, and we call it a solar eclipse.
The Mystery Of Solar Eclipse:
The mystery which means confusion is that Moon completes a revolution around the Earth each month, given the frequency, there should be solar and lunar eclipses every month. Isn’t that interesting? So why don’t we get Solar and Lunar eclipses every month? The reason is equally interesting, and the problem is our 2-dimensional drawings. If you look at things from a 3-dimension perspective, you will understand what’s happening. The plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, and that of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth are different.
The Earth revolves around the Sun and the Moon revolves around the Earth but in reality, the Moon isn’t revolving in this plane. The revolution is on a tilted plane, around a tilted axis like this.
There is a tilt in the plane. It means that the plane of the Earth is horizontal, And the intersection of both planes is limited to only 2 points. One of them here, and the other here. When either of these points comes in front of the Earth, in a straight line, we get to witness a solar or a lunar eclipse and the tilt is only 5 degrees.
Eclipse:
This means that most of the time the Moon passes above or below the Sun, as seen from the Earth. We can map out two invisible points in space in which the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic, we call these the lunar nodes. When they line up with the Sun, Moon, and Earth, that’s when a Solar Eclipse or a Lunar Eclipse will occur. In this, you can see that it’s quite rare that these two points can be in a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. This is why Solar and Lunar Eclipses are quite rare.
No Moon:
Some nights are simply No Moon nights. Where the moon isn’t visible at all, and such nights are almost a monthly occurrence. We call them Amavasya in Hindi. Once again, the reason for this difference is the tilt of the Moon’s orbit. We know that light is emitted from the Sun only, Earth and Moon emit no light. At any point in time, Sun’s light reaches half the Earth which is known as a day.
Similarly, half the Moon is alight with sunlight at all times. Apart from these revolutions, the Earth rotates around its axis as well. This turns day into night, and night into day. During the day, we cannot see the Moon and the stars simply because the sunlight is too bright. But if you noticed closely, sometimes you can see the Moon even during the day.
But on the night of the no moon, the moon gets in front of the Earth, and the sunlight lights up this part of the moon. And the fact that we can see from the Earth, is engulfed in darkness. We see it from here. The whole game is basically about the tilt of the moon’s orbit.
History Of Superstitions:
In a village in Bihar, he made an observatory in a Sun Temple to prove this. Before Aryabhata, the common knowledge among people was that during an eclipse the Sun was being swallowed by some demon. The story goes like this. The Gods and Demons came together to churn the sea, to get the elixir. When the pot of elixir emerged, Lord Vishnu took Mohini’s avatar, and the elixir was given only to the Gods.
At this time, a demon named Swar Bhanu was sitting among the Gods, so could drink the elixir. As soon as Lord Vishnu discovered this, he decapitated Swar Bhanu. The head was known as Rahu since then, and the Body was Ketu. And according to this mythology, Rahu and Ketu “eat” the Sun. This story is mentioned in the Rig Veda: Mandal 5, Hymn 40, Shlok 5-9. Similarly, this can be found in Buddhist religious texts as well where they claim that Rahu gobbled up the Sun.
Guru Nanak’s Story:
About 500 years ago, Kurukshetra was a major pilgrimage center, Once, there was a huge fair on the day of a solar eclipse. Guru Nanak and his friend Bhai Mardana had gone to the fair. Back then, the belief that during a solar eclipse people shouldn’t eat was quite prevalent. While Guru Nanak was at the fair, he was offered deer meat to eat.
Deer’s meat was offered as food. Since Guru Nanak did not discriminate between food, he accepted the offer. This meat was being roasted. But when the other revelers in the fair saw this, they were shocked to see someone cooking during a solar eclipse. And not even normal food, meat! Some people were very offended, People started threatening him. Some even said that they’d kill Guru Nanak.
Some people were threatening to kill Guru Nanak. When he had meat during the eclipse. So, when the angry mob went to Guru Nanak, Guru Nanak told them that the eclipses were simply celestial phenomena. That happened because of the shadows of the earth and the moon. He said that the mob may kill him if they so wish, but since they consider it wrong to kill the animal, it was wrong to kill and eat the deer during the eclipse, and the mob was about to kill a human.
He asked them if it shouldn’t be a worse crime. This calmed the mob a bit. This led to a debate between Guru Nanak and a conservative man. Friends, this is where Guru Nanak composed his famous poem, “Fools squabble over meat, Unaware of the reasons to do so.”
FAQs About Mystery Of Solar Eclipse:
What is an Eclipse?
An eclipse occurs when one heavenly body such as a moon or planet moves into the shadow of another heavenly body
What is a Solar eclipse?
An eclipse in which the sun is obscured by the moon.
What is a Lunar eclipse?
An eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth’s shadow.
What is Amavasya?
Amavasya is a no-moon or new-moon day.
Who is Aryabhata?
Aryabhata was an Indian mathematician and astronomer of the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy.
Who is Guru Nanak?
Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
What are Superstitions?
Excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural.
What is a myth?
A widely held but false belief or idea.
Who is the mob?
A large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence.
Why is a solar eclipse a rare event?
Total solar eclipses are very rare events for any given place on Earth because totality is only seen where the Moon’s umbra touches the Earth’s surface. A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people consider travel to remote locations in order to observe one.
Why solar eclipse should not be watched directly?
Solar eclipses can be especially dangerous for direct viewing because the sudden changes in luminosity do not give our eyes a chance to adapt. It is best if you have a pair of special glasses that have solar filters.
What Cannot be seen during a solar eclipse?
The Sun is completely blocked in a solar eclipse because the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. Even though the Moon is much smaller than the Sun, because it is just the right distance away from Earth, the Moon can fully blocks the Sun’s light from Earth’s perspective.
Conclusion:
It is somehow proven that when we see the Mystery Of Solar Eclipse with our naked eyes it may cause some problems which is a scientific reason for this. If we look at the sun directly, the ultraviolet rays fall on our eyes, they converge and damage the retina of our eyes. This is known as Solar Retinopathy. The same thing happens when you point your camera at the sun, without any filter. The lens of the camera focuses the rays on the sensor.
This can destroy the sensors of the older cameras. So, the logic that one shouldn’t look at a solar eclipse with one’s naked eyes, is always applicable. Never look at the Sun with your naked eyes. But this special advisory is issued only during the eclipse because normally no one looks at the Sun when it’s bright and shining. A solar eclipse is a major event when everyone wants to see the sun. So, it is recommended to take the necessary precautions.
