Science Behind the Eclipses (English)

From the start of human history, we have been fascinated by the sky and all other heavenly objects. Eclipses were one of the phenomena to be amazed. In the past science was not so developed because we were searching for food to survive was a big task for humans, So they associated the eclipses with some demonic activity. In ancient times, people assumed that these eclipses occurred due to some human sins. Like in many Indian scriptures it is clearly mentioned that, when demon Swarbhanu (Rahu & Ketu) engulfed the sun, this solar eclipse will occur and we have to worship God for the release of the sun from Swarbhanu. Similarly in Arabic history, we found that these solar eclipses are caused by dragon al-Dwazhrah. But as time progressed, many thinkers, philosophers, and scientists had done great work on eclipse theory and gave the exact theory of eclipses. Noted People who contributed significantly to the eclipse theory were Aryabhata and Varahamihira.

Now we will understand the science behind the occurrence of eclipses. We all know that the sun is the center of our solar system and all the planets of the solar system revolve around the Sun. Earth is the third nearest planet to the sun and it revolves around the sun, Earth has its natural satellite named as Moon which revolves around the Earth. So here we have a synchronous system where the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth.  

Let us first discuss the Solar eclipses, Solar eclipses are of different types like a complete solar eclipse, annular disc solar eclipse, or partial solar eclipse. The distance between the sun and moon is about 400 times the distance between earth and moon. A complete solar eclipse occurs when moons come exactly in between earth and sun meaning they come in linear alignment. For complete solar eclipses, there are some conditions that should be satisfied for this to happen and these conditions are as such, the moon should be at its perigee  (closest distance between earth and moon), it should be a full moon. If all these conditions are satisfied and all three heavenly bodies are in linear alignment, all of the sunlight is blocked by the moon and it casts its shadow on the earth’s surface, so as a result, we witness the complete solar eclipse. But the occurrence of a complete solar eclipse is an extremely rare phenomenon because the full moon, the moon at perigee, and linear alignment of sun, moon, and earth are extremely rare phenomena to happen. Complete Solar eclipse is the best time to study the sun’s environment.

The most common types of solar eclipses are annular and partial solar eclipse. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between earth and sun in linear alignment but the moon is not at the closest distance from earth and as a result the moon blocks almost the whole sun from the center but the light comes on earth from the circumference of the sun and casts a shadow from the mid part on earth. As a result, we see the sun as a fire ring across the black spot.

Second common eclipse is known as the partial solar eclipse. It occurs when the moon does not lie in linear alignment between earth and sun. Moon only blocks the light from a small portion of the sun and as a result we see the sun with a small black spot. If you want ro see the solar eclipse, please go with expert guidance and use a telescope to see the eclipse. Never see the solar eclipse with naked eye and X-ray films because change in intensity of sunlight is so fast that our eye muscles can’t adjust according to light instantly which results in either temporary or permanent eye damage.

Now we will discuss the lunar eclipses, these are of two types: complete lunar eclipse and partial lunar eclipse. A complete lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes in between the sun and moon in almost linear alignment. In this arrangement, the earth blocks the light from the sun and casts its shadow on the moon and as a result, we witness the complete lunar eclipse. The partial lunar eclipse occurs when some parts of the moon face the shadow of the earth and some parts face the light shadow of the earth. As a result, we see the faded moon at some portion.

The cycle of eclipses can be predicted easily and accurately by the Saros cycle which says that we witness many eclipses throughout the year but the eclipse which we see today will be seen after 18 years with the same physical parameters.

Science has progressed so much and it has made our lives very easy and enjoyable. It is a science that has enabled us to make an easy and reliable communication system, health care system, transportation system, and many more.  Many years back, when society thought that eclipses were caused by demons or earth as the center of the universe, many thinkers remonstrated these false claims. But orthodox society condemned those people and some thinkers like Bruno were burnt alive for their scientific claims.  In the past project, these incidents were run by religious goons who tried to suppress the scientific attitude for their irrational and false ideology. But the irony is that even today after so much advancement in science some people believe in unscientific hoaxes like eclipses are caused by demons Rahu and Ketu, some believe that eclipses are caused by dragon al-Dwazhrah, people believe that eating during eclipse cause stomach aches and health issues.  Even some believe that traveling during the time of an eclipse causes accidents.

But the truth is that these all claims are completely false and unscientific. Today we have plenty of observational and experimental evidence that eclipses are just cosmic events that have no impact on the human body, behavior, or in any way on the past and future of a person. So as a progressive society it’s our duty to spread scientific temperament among the masses and eradicate any type of unscientific and false claims. According to me, the best time to put the seed of scientific temperament among humans is school time. Because in childhood, the thought process and curiosity are liberal and open. So it’s our duty to seed the scientific temperament in our next generation as parents, teachers, and society.

To know more about Rahu &Ketu, Dragon al-Dwazhrah, and Aryabhata, you can check articles on my website.