Solar eclipse shrouds Asia in darkness after dawn

Solar eclipse shrouds Asia in darkness after dawn

news.yahoo.com

TAREGNA, India – The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia into near-darkness after dawn, as millions watched the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon Wednesday. A woman was killed in a stampede at the Ganges river in India, where devout Hindus had gathered for the eclipse.

Millions of others, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves indoors. India abounds in superstitions and fables based on Hindu mythology, one of which says an eclipse is caused when a dragon-demon swallows the sun, while another myth is that sun rays during an eclipse can harm unborn children.

Thic

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It starts...the eclipse has begun! I knew there was going to be one of these eventually. Glad one like this happened in my lifetime. It seems like there is some sort of superstition within the Indian community, I wonder what they are afraid of? I remember reading that alot of researchers were going to a village in India to study the envoronmental conditions as the eclipse happened, such as the behavior of birds and so forth. All in all I wish everyone a good day and god speed!

SVE

news.yahoo.com
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[edit on 22-7-2009 by thedude69]

You Tube Video:

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Originally posted by thedude69

It starts...the eclipse has begun! I knew there was going to be one of these eventually. Glad one like this happened in my lifetime.

There's a total solar eclipse every couple of years on average, the last one was just in August 2008. Another one might even occur in your lifetime, next July. In 2050 you'll be able to tell your grandkids about this day, and the thirty odd other days just like it. They'll think you're crazy. And you smell funny.

I watched this from 1am this morning, have to say a very spectacular, event.

reply to post by thedude69


>Solar eclipse shrouds Asia in darkness

Yeah, thats what they normally do.

In fact, i'd go so far as to say its the only thing they've ever done!

Good on Yahoo for such an insightful headline!

What i found so funny was that people were staying home and as the article said people who were preganant were advised to stay inside a dark room and chant prayers or some such. Whats amazing to me is that even in a world where anything you want to know is only a seconds away with a computer, and all the marvels of science that we use everyday in our lives that we just cant live without, even with all the most basically accepted ideas about life, the world and the universe, we still live in an age where people are afraid of a solar eclipse. ROFLMAO
i mean seriously? I am 100% positive now that there has to be people on the planet who still refuse to believe the earth is round.

Just goes to prove my point i made the other day to some friends. We live in such an advanced age of knowledge yet mankind is still so supremely stupid.

Originally posted by fizzy1
What i found so funny was that people were staying home and as the article said people who were preganant were advised to stay inside a dark room and chant prayers or some such. Whats amazing to me is that even in a world where anything you want to know is only a seconds away with a computer, and all the marvels of science that we use everyday in our lives that we just cant live without, even with all the most basically accepted ideas about life, the world and the universe, we still live in an age where people are afraid of a solar eclipse. ROFLMAO
i mean seriously? I am 100% positive now that there has to be people on the planet who still refuse to believe the earth is round.

Just goes to prove my point i made the other day to some friends. We live in such an advanced age of knowledge yet mankind is still so supremely stupid.

I am no expert on internet availability in India, but I have to guess that while they have internet in the cities, there are large parts of rural India with no internet access that sill believe in old superstitions. (For that matter there are parts of the world WITH internet access that still believe in old superstitions).

Considering even the most primitive people recognized the sun as the source of life, it's a little disconcerting to see the sun get swallowed up if you don't understand what's happening.