New Delhi: Of all the purges known to mankind, solar eclipses rank high in popular superstition as the perpetrators of all things evil.
Partial Solar eclipse is visible in Southern Australia, New Zealand and North Antarctica. All the solar eclipses on Friday the 13th in 1974, 2018 are partial solar eclipse. We won’t have another Friday the 13th solar eclipse until 2080.
Here are some myths busters on solar eclipses.
Does one go blind after watching a solar eclipse?
Viewing an eclipse with the naked eye could be dangerous. Gazing at the sun through a telescope or binoculars without filters is also dangerous and can damage the eyesight due to a condition called solar retinopathy - where the retina gets damaged.
There are safe methods to view an eclipse. Most involve viewing a projection of the eclipse rather than viewing the event directly. It is dangerous to look at the sun directly any time. But glancing at an eclipse poses less danger if special filters are used.
A solar eclipse is likely to harm a pregnant woman
According to scientists, an eclipse does not cause any deformity in the foetus neither does it harm the mother. The superstition that pregnant women should not cut and sew during an eclipse is baseless.
Food cooked during the eclipse carries germs
This is a belief based on old wives tales and has no scientific reasoning.
People should stay indoor during an eclipse
Scientists at the Nehru Planetarium have rubbished this theory and asked people to shed such superstitions.
Viewing the eclipse through a kitchen sieve is auspicious
It's just a traditional way of viewing a total solar eclipse through the method of projection. By holding the sieve just above the ground and tilting its face towards the sun, the image of the sun can be seen forming.
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