Experts, rationalists hold myth-busting events during 40-minute solar eclipse

The partial solar eclipse on Tuesday was visible for over 40 minutes in Bengaluru, where the celestial event also inspired programmes hosted by groups to dispel unscientific notions about eclipses.

The eclipse began at 5.12 pm in Bengaluru. The ending of the eclipse was not visible from India since it was in progress after sunset. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the earth and the sun. During a partial solar eclipse, the lunar disk covers the solar disk partially.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium (JNP) reported that Bengaluru clocked an obscuration (fraction of the sun’s surface concealed by the moon) of 10.09%. The planetarium said the eclipse was maximum in Bengaluru at 5.49 pm. Mysuru, Ballari and Agumbe witnessed obscuration of 9.16%, 14.82% and 12.11%, respectively.

The next solar eclipse visible from India will be on August 2, 2027.

“From all parts of the country it will be seen as a partial solar eclipse,” a statement from the Ministry of Earth Sciences said last week.

Science vs superstition

JNP, along with Bangalore Association for Science Education, organised a panel discussion at the planetarium, while there was live-streaming video footage of the partial eclipse from different parts of the world. The interactive discussion saw experts responding to questions raised by visitors, many of them children.

Superstitions, including the ones that discourage cooking and consumption of food during eclipses, were a recurring theme of the interaction.

H R Madhusudan, assistant director (education), JNP, said education was the “only antidote” to superstitions around eclipses.

“We have been conducting sessions for teachers, to train them in teaching science the way it ought to be taught. Weekend sessions for high school students have also been held regularly. Fundamental education, which inculcates a spirit of rational thinking, will automatically take care of these superstitions,” Madhusudan told DH.

Mammoth event

Over 200 people gathered at Town Hall to puncture the superstitions surrounding the solar eclipse, including the belief that eating during the eclipse causes health issues.

Under the banner of Anti-Superstition Federation, members of several associations along with former officials and leaders came together, ate fruits and food during the eclipse to break the superstition.

Lingayat Mahasabha’s G B Patil, Mavalli Shankar of Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, Prof Nagaragere Ramesh, Periyarist Jayalakshmi, activist H K Vivekananda, Shivarame Gowda of Kannada Rakshana Vedike and others attended the event. Activist T Venkateshamurty said it was the 20th such gathering aimed at spreading awareness. "The aim is to encourage rational approach and scientific temper in place of superstition," he said.