How Solar Eclipse Affects Our Health

If you have never seen solar eclipse before, on June 21, you will have the chance to witness the majestic Solar eclipse when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring Earth's view of Sun completely or partially. It will be the first solar eclipse of the year 2020 since the next one will take place on December 14, 2020. This celestial event will be visible from much of Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, parts of Europe and Australia, depending on favourable weather conditions.

There are three types of solar eclipses. The first one being the partial solar eclipse where the Sun, Moon and the Earth align in one straight line and the Moon appears to block a portion of the Sun as it is only able to partially cover the disk of the Sun. Whereas, a total solar eclipse occurs, when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and completely blocks the sunlight from reaching the surface of Earth.

Can Solar Eclipse Really Affect Our Health?

Since time immemorial, it is believed that these celestial events like solar and lunar eclipse have a negative impact on our health. There are several sets of dos and don'ts in Indian mythology for taking special care of the health of pregnant women and newborn babies during the course of an eclipse. In fact, many traditional beliefs dictate that ellipses are a bad omen and refrain one from stepping out of the house to avoid the said ill-effects of these ellipses.

In many cultures and traditional beliefs, the sun is pictured as the mighty 'Graha' or planet which represents life and energy on our planet. Here, are some of these age-old beliefs:

1. It is believed that a solar eclipse can evoke feelings of malaise and sickness and hence one should avoid taking any major decisions on the day of the eclipse, since one is not in good state of mental health.

2. There is yet another deep-rooted myth that claims that this astronomical phenomenon can prove to be harmful to pregnant women and can cause birth defects and abnormalities in the fetus.

3. Additionally, people also believe that Solar eclipse can have negative impact on your mood and you may feel depressed during the course of the eclipse. It is believed that eclipse may lead to psychological disturbances in humans and may even disrupt their digestion.

As far as myths and beliefs surrounding this majestic celestial event is concerned, it must be noted that none of them is backed by any scientific evidence. Most of these beliefs are based upon the idea that harmful radiations are emitted in the atmosphere during a total solar eclipse, which has been time and again said to be completely false and baseless by the NASA in the "Eclipses: Misconception" section of its official website.

we must not forget, humans have watched the ellipses long before our scientific understanding of these ellipses and the celestial events grew.