On April 8, 2024, the moon will come between the Earth and the sun across large swathes of North America, so make certain to have your ISO-certified eclipse glasses ready!
A solar eclipse is a phenomenon where the Earth’s moon travels between the planet and the sun, casting a shadow upon the Earth and covering part of the sun. A total solar eclipse results when the paths of the sun and moon are so aligned that the moon entirely obscures the view of the sun from Earth for a length of time, known as totality. On April 8, 2024, this event will be visible from Mexico, across many states from Texas to Maine, as well as into Canada. Importantly, one should never look directly at the sun even during an eclipse, apart from the moment of totality, without proper eclipse glasses.
Since ancient times, eclipses, especially solar eclipses, have been sights largely of fear and trepidation, largely due to the lack of understanding of the science behind the event. Rather, it was viewed as an ominous sign, possibly one of divine anger, and led to a great deal of superstition surrounding the event. In many cultures, it was explained as an attempt by some creature to eat the sun. In Vedic mythology, after the asura Rahu was decapitated for consuming the elixir of immortality without permission, his head, which could not die, tried to swallow the sun and moon for exposing his wrongdoing. However, since his head was detached, whenever the sun was swallowed, it eventually exited from his throat.
In Sri Lanka, there are several myths surrounding a total solar eclipse. One proscription decrees that all cooked food present during a solar eclipse must be disposed of, and entirely new food cooked following the eclipse, due to the food present during the eclipse being considered tainted. While this may seem excessive, it is probable the demand has practical roots, as food storage in ancient times may not have allowed one to ensure that nothing harmful entered the cooked food during the darkness of the eclipse. Another myth is that a pregnant woman should not be allowed to cut anything with scissors during an eclipse, since it may result in the unborn child having a cleft palate.
Not all lore surrounding eclipses has been harmless, however. On June 20, 1955, Sri Lanka experienced a total solar eclipse, one which had the longest duration of totality measured by modern instruments. A fiction was promulgated by a local astrologer which claimed that dark-complected women who drank a herbal brew called “Wadakaha Sudiya” during the eclipse would gain a fairer complexion. Many believed the lie, and in the immediate aftermath of the eclipse, many women in Sri Lanka were hospitalized after consuming the brew.
During the Great North American Eclipse, Florida will not be on the line of totality, but will experience from forty to sixty percent eclipse of the sun depending on the location within the state. Nevertheless, patient Floridians will be rewarded on August 12, 2045, when a total solar eclipse will cross much of the state, and the longest duration of eclipse totality is expected to occur just offshore from Fort Lauderdale.
I didn’t know about the “Wadakaha Sudiya” incident. How sad!