Total Solar Eclipse July 22nd 2009 Draws Crowds and Superstitions

by Amy Judd | July 20, 2009 at 10:14 am

6140 views | 45 Recommendations | 16 comments

The total solar eclipse, the longest eclipse of the 21st century, that takes place July 22nd 2009, but July 21st 2009 in the western part of the world, is drawing thousands of people to Panchagarh, a tiny town in northern Bangladesh and across areas in north India, eastern Nepal, north Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, the Ryuku Islands, Marshall Islands, and Kiribati.

The eclipse will last 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some parts of the Pacific Ocean.

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The eclipse will start at 5:24 pm PDT on July 21st 2009.

Between 6:37pm and 6:43pm PDT the sun will be totally covered by the moon.

At 8:03 pm PDT, the moon will make its last contact with the sun.

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Tourists are rushing to see this elcipse, which will be the only opportunity in their lifetime to see such an event in person. Another eclipse like this one is not scheduled for another 150 years.

However, this event is also inviting superstitions as well as mass tourism, as some are claiming that events of this nature incite mass violence and turmoil and present a sense of impeding doom.

Ancient eclipse records made in China and Babylonia are believed to be over 4,000 years old, and there is evidence that the ancient Egyptians observed solar eclipses over 4,500 years ago.

The ancient Chinese believed that solar eclipses occur when a legendary celestial dragon devours the Sun. Hindu Mythology also believes the sun gets eaten during a solar eclipse.

In India, many people often won't eat because the lack of sun makes food impure, and expectant mothers do not want to give birth on the day there is an eclipse as it is thought some babies could be born with birth defects.

"This is a belief deeply rooted in Indian society. Couples are willing to do anything to ensure that the baby is not born on that day," Shivani Sachdev Gour, a gynecologist at the Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, told AFP .

Astrologers in India are predicitng natural disasters or even a world war.

Scientists say there is nothing to be alarmed about as it is just a natural event that is a marvel to see.

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Jimmy CHO (not verified)

at 23:36 on July 20th, 2009

I think that there is a mistake which is :the moon will be totally covered by the sun".

Is sun covered by moon?

annebells (not verified)

at 02:40 on July 21st, 2009

Yes...there is a mistake...Sun is actually covered by moon

Advice (not verified)

at 12:52 on July 21st, 2009

If the people of India are "willing to do anything to ensure that the baby is not born on that day" perhaps the easiest solution is to study this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses and not have sex around 9 months before any of the dates mentioned. That should see them right until the next century.

A. Tran

at 18:23 on July 21st, 2009

Thanks, Amy for covering this event. It's exciting isn't it, the longest eclipse so far. You can also watch it on Ustream here.

Apparently, it's too polluted in Beijing for people there to see anything!

158

at 19:13 on July 21st, 2009

It would be nice to see the eclipse live.

Sakthi (not verified)

at 12:15 on July 22nd, 2009

Your sceicne canot do nothing or anything about the TRUTH that are Indian History and Indian spirituality and Indian culture.. stop saying about stupid science and radiation... there is nothing like child should not be born onthat day.. there is only caution to Pregnant women should not go out and expose themselves. and Vedas are Super science when this nowadays bullshit everchanging science ends Real Super Science starts.. India is Scientifically above all other countrys in the World.. You people are still soaked in athiest stupid ignorant ideologys and barabarian desert religon. pity you

KristinaB (not verified)

at 14:32 on July 23rd, 2009

I'm pretty sure no world war or great turmoil disaster broke out.

"pity you" and India's "brilliant predicting scientific culture."

rajveer (not verified)

at 07:08 on July 25th, 2009

i'm an indian, and don't appreciate you representing other indian in such a way. everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and you calling those opinions stupid, and ignorant, is very offensive. i'm also a very patriotic indian and appreciate indian spirituality and culture, but putting another's beliefs and country down is asking for a backlash. instead of sharing with other why we believe what we believe, you engage in what i would consider to be "barbaric" behavior. next time, it would be more benefitial to all if you would share you knowledge, instead of misrepresenting all indians by behaving in such a distasteful manner.

namc87

at 17:16 on July 22nd, 2009

namc87 has contributed a photo to this story.

Eric.Dai

at 17:39 on July 22nd, 2009

I taken this photo at Hangzhou, China. Here we can watch the full Solar eclipse. For more photos, please click out http://www.yupoo.com/albums/view?id=ff808081229cc86a0122a03a9cc12702 ( this web site may contains Chinese characters )

Eric.Dai has contributed a photo to this story.

hSin722

at 17:42 on July 22nd, 2009

people kept watching solar eclipse. that's really interesting.

hSin722 has contributed a photo to this story.

CrazyDaniel

at 21:54 on July 22nd, 2009

Solar eclipse @ Taiwan

CrazyDaniel has contributed a photo to this story.

tung0911

at 06:59 on July 23rd, 2009

Nguyen Thanh Tung's photo

tung0911 has contributed a photo to this story.

amakusaleanne

at 22:36 on July 23rd, 2009

The eclipse as witnessed in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, JAPAN. Picture taken by Carl Jenson
Blogged about at www.vibromama.blogspot.com

amakusaleanne has contributed a photo to this story.

Biplab Adhikary

at 08:12 on July 24th, 2009

Its all about "Total Solar Eclipse" on 22nd July2009.....I took this shot in the morning at a town called Jalpaiguri, Westbengal in India. As anyone can see, it was too cloudy to see the wonder....but I tried my best to capture it. Hope u like it.

Biplab Adhikary has contributed a photo to this story.

Hazza (not verified)

at 05:26 on July 25th, 2009

I live in Sydney and sadly I couldn't view the eclipse live but was following it on the web from work thanks to NASA and YouTube. Well down here in Australia we have a total eclipse far up north in 2012 which would begin at sunrise at Darwin, then head east across the Gulf of Carpentaria to Far North Queensland, with only Cairns being the major city to view totality - the eclipse will then move out to the Pacific Ocean without making landfall anywhere (except probably New Caledonia).

If I am in Sydney for the next 20 years then the major eclipse I'm waiting for is the one on July 22 2028! This is one total eclipse that will put Sydney SMACK IN THE MIDDLE of the path of totality (and then the city won't see another total eclipse for some 800 years!).