LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While most of us look forward with excitement to the total solar eclipse, many people throughout history have regarded the phenomenon as a bad omen.
Instead of excitement, an eclipse has sparked fear and became the subject of various myths and superstitions.
According to NASA's website debunking myths during the 2017 eclipse, one of the myths is that pregnant women should not go outside during a solar eclipse for fear of the sun ray’s harming the unborn child, leading to physical deformities, cleft lip and birthmarks.
Beyond the solar rays allegedly affecting expecting mothers, some believe it will also poison or contaminate your food, saying you must fast during an eclipse because any food cooked or eaten during an eclipse will be contaminated or poisonous.
But as we now know, the UV rays produced during an eclipse are not any more dangerous than any other day. Just be sure to wear proper eye protection.
Is your birthday April 8 or October 8? A solar eclipse on your birthday, or six months after, has been believed to be a sign of impending bad health. But don’t worry, there’s no science to back this up.
The science we do have now allows us to know what causes an eclipse, and it’s not because a beast is attacking the sun or that the once-fiery sun went out like a candle. Tribes in Peru would shoot flaming arrows into the sky with hopes to scare away said beast. The Chippewa did the same, though their intention was to reignite the Sun with the flames.
Not all of the myths are about doom and gloom though; legend has it that if you plant flowers during an eclipse they will bloom brighter and more colorful than they otherwise would.
While these age-old superstitions may cast shadows of uncertainty, the light of scientific knowledge illuminates our understanding, allowing us to look forward with anticipation, not fear, to the rare spectacle that is a total solar eclipse.
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