On 21st June 2020, after waiting for many long years, I witnessed a partial solar eclipse. You cant deny the fact of how beautiful the event is! A star which otherwise shines so brightly during daytime, gets obscured by a small celestial body, 400 times smaller than it. All a matter of perspective and positions. Once in a while, the Moon can pass between Sun and Earth causing a Solar Eclipse, whereas the Earth passing between Sun and Moon gives rise to a Lunar Eclipse. Solar Eclipses have proved significant in the development of Science. Greek astronomer Hipparchus used a solar eclipse to determine the distance of Earth from Moon. On 29 May 1919, Sir Arthur Eddington - A British astronomer provided the first ever confirmatory test of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity by observing the relative shift in positions of stars behind Sun, during a Solar Eclipse. But nowadays, there is a whole load of myths and fears about an eclipse - especially in the Indian culture. Of course, there are some threats that a solar eclipse pose to our eyes. But - "Is there anything more going on?", short answer is - No. In this blog article, I shall discuss the only potential harm a solar eclipse can cause and debunk some myths along with giving historical reasons for why they rose in the first place.
You must have heard every time a solar eclipse is about to occur, people go around chanting - "Do not look at the eclipse with naked eyes! Use proper solar filters to gaze directly at the sun." People even forbid the use of goggles and X-Ray films which seem to be safe and give minimum strain on our eyes. However, it is not just about the strain on eyes. There is something more here. Our Sun, is a giant ball of plasma emitting all sorts of radiations in space. The Sunlight you can see is only a part of the spectrum of radiations emitted by Sun. It is called as - "Visible Light" (the name is quite self-sufficient in explaining them). But there are other radiations like - X-Rays, Ultraviolet Rays, Radio waves, Microwaves, Infrared rays etc. What is the difference in all these? - Well, the most notable difference is you cant see them with your naked eyes. Another difference is they all have different energies and wavelengths. X-Rays and Ultraviolet Rays have shorter wavelengths and are highly energetic. On the other hand, Microwaves and Radio waves have a long wavelength and are less energetic. The problem here is that X-Rays' and Ultraviolet Rays' high energy is not so good for us and can cause biological damage. As said before, the Sun emits all these different types of radiations which obviously reach Earth too. Good news, is that most of them are absorbed by a protective shield of Earth called as the - "Ozone Layer". But, some rays sneak their way into the Earth. Prolonged exposure to these radiations cause "sunburns" and in worst cases - "skin cancer". But how does all this relate to a solar eclipse? The rays are there all the time whether an eclipse occurs or not. Correct, now if I were to tell you to look at the Sun on a bright sunny day for 10 seconds straight. It would be near impossible. Your eyes would get half closed and your pupils will shrink, and you would be forced to look away. This is your body's natural defense for protecting your eyes from getting damaged by over-exposure. In this case, it protects you indirectly from letting all those harmful rays damage your eyes. But during an eclipse, a portion of the Sun is covered by Moon. This reduces the intensity of sunlight reaching our eyes, thus deceiving both our eyes and brain. We can stare at the Sun for as long as we want, but what is not realized is that the harmful Ultraviolet rays are still being emitted from the uncovered portion of Sun. If one continues to look at the eclipse with unaided eyes, then these radiations are certain to cause damage. That's it, this is the only harm a solar eclipse can cause. Except, of course if you are too caught up in staring at the eclipse and your house is on fire. Though this is very unlikely.
However, people believe there are many other threats that a solar eclipse poses to us. They avoid going out during an eclipse, conducting any good task, buying something new, etc. Some even go as far as abstaining from eating or drinking anything and bathing after the eclipse. The root of this behavior goes to historical circumstances, when most people lacked knowledge of the cause of a solar eclipse. Solar Eclipses have been viewed as omens in the old times and thought to bring death and destruction. In 585 BCE, a solar eclipse is said to have stopped a war between the Lydians and the Medes, who believed the dark skies as a sign to make peace with each other. During the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, a Lunar Eclipse occurred which made the superstitious Athenians believe that their enemies possessed some supernatural powers. They began to retreat. The Spartans saw an opportunity in this and charged in on the Athenians, making them lose the war. It had happened much often, when we humans are incapable of providing a logical explanation for any circumstance or event, we assign to it some divine intervention. I am quite sure this must have been the case for eclipses. In the present, advances in Science and Astronomy shed light on what exactly happens during an eclipse. Today, almost everyone is aware that eclipses are nothing but a wonderful play of positions and shadows. Yet, some people tend to remain on the safe side and hold belief in past superstitions. When such people are asked for the reasoning behind their belief, they fail to provide a plausible explanation. Some believe that light from the Sun is reflected from the outer edges of moon, thus altering their original nature and rendering them harmful. However, this should occur almost every ordinary night, when the Moon is up in the sky reflecting light from the Sun. As far as we know, the only harm an eclipse can do is if you stare at it with unprotected eyes that too in the case of a Solar Eclipse. To conclude, an eclipse is just a normal astronomical event in terms of its effect on our lives, but as Sir Arthur Eddington did, it can serve as a valuable event to testify a theory.
- Thank You!
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| Annular Solar Eclipse |
You must have heard every time a solar eclipse is about to occur, people go around chanting - "Do not look at the eclipse with naked eyes! Use proper solar filters to gaze directly at the sun." People even forbid the use of goggles and X-Ray films which seem to be safe and give minimum strain on our eyes. However, it is not just about the strain on eyes. There is something more here. Our Sun, is a giant ball of plasma emitting all sorts of radiations in space. The Sunlight you can see is only a part of the spectrum of radiations emitted by Sun. It is called as - "Visible Light" (the name is quite self-sufficient in explaining them). But there are other radiations like - X-Rays, Ultraviolet Rays, Radio waves, Microwaves, Infrared rays etc. What is the difference in all these? - Well, the most notable difference is you cant see them with your naked eyes. Another difference is they all have different energies and wavelengths. X-Rays and Ultraviolet Rays have shorter wavelengths and are highly energetic. On the other hand, Microwaves and Radio waves have a long wavelength and are less energetic. The problem here is that X-Rays' and Ultraviolet Rays' high energy is not so good for us and can cause biological damage. As said before, the Sun emits all these different types of radiations which obviously reach Earth too. Good news, is that most of them are absorbed by a protective shield of Earth called as the - "Ozone Layer". But, some rays sneak their way into the Earth. Prolonged exposure to these radiations cause "sunburns" and in worst cases - "skin cancer". But how does all this relate to a solar eclipse? The rays are there all the time whether an eclipse occurs or not. Correct, now if I were to tell you to look at the Sun on a bright sunny day for 10 seconds straight. It would be near impossible. Your eyes would get half closed and your pupils will shrink, and you would be forced to look away. This is your body's natural defense for protecting your eyes from getting damaged by over-exposure. In this case, it protects you indirectly from letting all those harmful rays damage your eyes. But during an eclipse, a portion of the Sun is covered by Moon. This reduces the intensity of sunlight reaching our eyes, thus deceiving both our eyes and brain. We can stare at the Sun for as long as we want, but what is not realized is that the harmful Ultraviolet rays are still being emitted from the uncovered portion of Sun. If one continues to look at the eclipse with unaided eyes, then these radiations are certain to cause damage. That's it, this is the only harm a solar eclipse can cause. Except, of course if you are too caught up in staring at the eclipse and your house is on fire. Though this is very unlikely.
However, people believe there are many other threats that a solar eclipse poses to us. They avoid going out during an eclipse, conducting any good task, buying something new, etc. Some even go as far as abstaining from eating or drinking anything and bathing after the eclipse. The root of this behavior goes to historical circumstances, when most people lacked knowledge of the cause of a solar eclipse. Solar Eclipses have been viewed as omens in the old times and thought to bring death and destruction. In 585 BCE, a solar eclipse is said to have stopped a war between the Lydians and the Medes, who believed the dark skies as a sign to make peace with each other. During the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, a Lunar Eclipse occurred which made the superstitious Athenians believe that their enemies possessed some supernatural powers. They began to retreat. The Spartans saw an opportunity in this and charged in on the Athenians, making them lose the war. It had happened much often, when we humans are incapable of providing a logical explanation for any circumstance or event, we assign to it some divine intervention. I am quite sure this must have been the case for eclipses. In the present, advances in Science and Astronomy shed light on what exactly happens during an eclipse. Today, almost everyone is aware that eclipses are nothing but a wonderful play of positions and shadows. Yet, some people tend to remain on the safe side and hold belief in past superstitions. When such people are asked for the reasoning behind their belief, they fail to provide a plausible explanation. Some believe that light from the Sun is reflected from the outer edges of moon, thus altering their original nature and rendering them harmful. However, this should occur almost every ordinary night, when the Moon is up in the sky reflecting light from the Sun. As far as we know, the only harm an eclipse can do is if you stare at it with unprotected eyes that too in the case of a Solar Eclipse. To conclude, an eclipse is just a normal astronomical event in terms of its effect on our lives, but as Sir Arthur Eddington did, it can serve as a valuable event to testify a theory.
- Thank You!
Nicely explained!
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