What Scientists Don't Know About Eclipses

BBC News When solar fears eclipse reason

Once feared, eclipses are now often eagerly anticipated Solar eclipses are nowadays major tourist attractions, but in ancient times, they were events of ill omen, to be dreaded and feared.

While scientific knowledge has explained the phenomenon, some superstitions continue to hold sway.

An eclipse in Nigeria in 2001 was seen by Muslim youths as anger from god for sinful activities.

And the ancient belief that an eclipse presaged war and devastation is still preached by some mystics in India.

A belief persists in India that all cooked food left uneaten during an eclipse should be given away, as it will have become impure.

Srila Prabhupada: There are many invisible planets and stars. For example, when the Rahu planet passes before the sun and moon, there is an eclipse. But the scientists describe an eclipse differently. Actually, the Rahu planet causes an eclipse. There are many questionable points regarding the modern scientists' theory of the eclipse. Their explanation is incorrect according to Vedic information.

Dr. Singh: But the scientists say that they can prove their theories.

Srila Prabhupada: They say that science proves everything. But that is nonsense. The scientist has proved everything except what he is. That he does not know. And why does he die? That also he does not know. That is the extent of his knowledge.

Dr. Singh: They can make a model of the universe. They can make a model of the planets and the moon.

Srila Prabhupada: If they can make things, why don't they make an imitation sun to save electricity? These rascals say everything, but they cannot do anything. That is their position. If they can make a model of the universe, let them make a big model of the sun. Then in the dark night we will not have to spend so much money on electricity. But they cannot do it. Yet they speak big, big words, simply to take money from the taxpayers. They say they know the composition of the moon and the composition of the sun, so why can't they make them? Why can't they create an artificial sun so that the people of Iceland and Greenland can be saved from so much cold?

Indian man: ... How would you explain about eclipse which we get?

Prabhupada: That you ask some astronomer. I am not astronomer. But I understand from Vedic scripture that moon is beyond the sun.

Indian man: 'Cause we have seen that the moon comes between...

Prabhupada: Yes, eclipse, it is Rahu. It is Rahu between the sun and, sun and moon. Yes.

Indian man: Between the earth and the sun.

Prabhupada: No earth. No, Rahu. Earth is...

Cyavana: What they see is Rahu, not moon. No.

Indian man: At night the planets which give light to this universe...

Prabhupada: That is moon.

Indian man: Moon.

Prabhupada: Yes. They say that every planet gives light. That is not fact.

Indian man: The reflection I think, of the sun...

Prabhupada: No, there is fire.

Indian man: In the moon too there is fire? But it is cold, as the, our sages say.

Prabhupada: It is surrounded by cooling atmosphere.

Indian man: It rotates?

Prabhupada: In a different way, not as they explain.

Indian man: They rotate.

Prabhupada: Just like my hands is moving... [makes gestures to demonstrate] ... like that.

Indian man: And it does not go all around other planets?

Prabhupada: No.

Cyavana: They all move together?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Cyavana: They move together?

Prabhupada: Yes. The pivot is the polestar. Fixing, the polestar, they are moving like this. And there is sun's movement. ...

Indian man: [break]...friend, and I told him that you said these things. So he asked me the question about the eclipse. So I would like to know to explain to him about it.

Prabhupada: The eclipse is... When the Rahu comes between sun and moon, there is eclipse.

Indian man: It does not eclipse the moon. But why people say that it's the moon that covers the sun? Because they don't know it's...

Prabhupada: They are misinformed.

Indian man: They suppose?

Prabhupada: It is not the fact.

Indian man: Astronomers too say that.

Prabhupada: It is up to the man to believe or not believe, but we have got authorities, different; they have got authorities, different. So if we follow our authorities, then we have to accept according to that.

Indian man: We get in a dilemma, we people who do not know more than they explain about.

Prabhupada: There is no dilemma, because our literature is there from millions and millions of years, and they have their knowledge within two, three hundred years. Now it is up to us whom to believe.

Indian man: You want to say that the astronomers are the mistaken. The astronomers have been mistaken to say all these things?

Prabhupada: Yes. Everyone commits mistake. Anyone who is conditioned, he must commit mistake. This is our position, that anyone who is not liberated, he must commit mistake. We take knowledge from liberated soul, not from the speculators. That is the difference.

Cyavana: They prove their inadequacy by changing their theories every twenty years.

Prabhupada: Yes.