Total eclipse occurred between 7.36 p.m. and 8.27
On Saturday, the sky gazers had a field day. The last eclipse of the year, a total lunar eclipse, occurred on Saturday that gave sky lovers an opportunity to witness the celestial event. People were seen watching the eclipse using telescopes.
Science organisations like Jana Vignana Vedika (JVV) arranged for telescopes to observe full moon passing deep into Earth's shadow. The organisers said that one of the best sky events of this year was lunar eclipse on Saturday. The total eclipse occurred between 7.36 p.m. and 8.27 p.m. for 51 minutes. The people witnessed moon entering shadow of earth and leaving as the moon's disk gradually darkened and returned slowly to its full brightness.
As many people believe that eating food during eclipse brings harm, the science groups and rationalists organised feasts to dispel the myth. The Jana Vignana Vedika (JVV) arranged ‘tiffin' at United Teachers Front (UTF) Association Hall near Raghavaiah Park here.
The JVV State Secretary Velaga Srinivas said that the JVV had been propagating to eat during the eclipse for many years. Many people still believe that eating food during eclipse harms the body. But, it's a myth he said.
Atheist Centre Executive Director Vijayam said that people have more fear about solar eclipse than lunar eclipse. Nonetheless, both were superstitions.
People should understand the scientific phenomenon. “We give scientific reasoning to dispel myths.” There are many instances where pregnant women watched the eclipses, including solar. The Atheist Centre asked them to come out in the open and watch the cosmic events. But, none faced any health problems as commonly believed by the people. It's sheer superstition that the eclipse would harm the body, he added.
