Solar eclipse pits superstition against science

[Mizango]

Mainly because an Asteroid impact in our neighborhood doesn't just happen in a 30 mins time span. Like the shoemaker levy impact, we knew that was going to happen months before it happened. Jupiter is a very turbulent place and it seems like some sort of cloud anomaly that is extremely common throughout our solar system.

We notice things like this on Venus and Gaseous yet super windy Neptune quite often. We would have seen the asteroid burn up when it go ganked by Jupiter's MASSIVE gravitational pull as as it plunged through its super heated atmosphere. Truth be told it would have ripped it in to more than just one single piece, yes its gravity is that strong.

The chances of any type of asteroid/meteor staying in one piece, let alone on one of Jupiter's poles is slim to non. Is it possible? I suppose it is. It is unlikely, highly. Think of it as dropping a glass and seeing it break only into 2 pieces. Could be some weird magnetic thing causing the thousand mile think clouds to swirl or cause a dark colored spot.

[Guitarman]

I just wanted to say, the part about the flight costing "75,000 rupees" made me smile. I wish our currency was named that.

Anyways, back to your circle jerk.

[guartz]

When they say pits, do they mean science points and laughs at stupid uneducated masses? or what?

[Guitarman]

When they say pits, do they mean science points and laughs at stupid uneducated masses? or what?

http://rudezone.net/images/notThisShitAgain.gif

[Shenrien]

... are these fools serious? my god I'm going to have my boot contact an infants face if so.

[Colenzo]

Solar eclipse pits superstition against science
AFP

by Phil Hazlewood Phil Hazlewood – Sun Jul 19, 10:23 pm ET

MUMBAI (AFP) – Indian astrologers are predicting violence and turmoil across the world as a result of this week's total solar eclipse, which the superstitious and religious view as a sign of potential doom.

But astronomers, scientists and secularists are trying to play down claims of evil portent in connection with Wednesday's natural spectacle, when the moon will come between the Earth and the sun, completely obscuring the sun.

In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to "swallow" the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its life-giving light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable.

Pregnant women are advised to stay indoors to prevent their babies developing birth defects, while prayers, fasting and ritual bathing, particularly in holy rivers, are encouraged.

Shivani Sachdev Gour, a gynaecologist at the Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, said a number of expectant mothers scheduled for caesarian deliveries on July 22 had asked to change the date.

"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," Gour said.

Astrologers have predicted a rise in communal and regional violence in the days following the eclipse, particularly in India, China and other Southeast Asian nations where it can be seen on Wednesday morning.

Mumbai astrologer Raj Kumar Sharma predicted "some sort of attack by (Kashmiri separatists) Jaish-e-Mohammad or Al-Qaeda on Indian soil" and a devastating natural disaster in Southeast Asia.

An Indian political leader could be killed, he said, and tension between the West and Iran is likely to increase, escalating into possible US military action after September 9, when fiery Saturn moves from Leo into Virgo.

"The last 200 years, whenever Saturn has gone into Virgo there has been either a world war or a mini world war," he told AFP.

It is not just in India that some are uneasy about what will transpire because of the eclipse.

In ancient China they were often associated with disasters, the death of an emperor or other dark events, and similar superstitions persist.

"The probability for unrest or war to take place in years when a solar eclipse happens is 95 percent," announced an article that attracted a lot of hits on the popular Chinese web portal Baidu.com.

Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, dismissed such doomsday predictions.

"Primarily, what we see with all these soothsayers and astrologers is that they're looking for opportunities to enhance their business with predictions of danger and calamity," he told AFP.

"They have been very powerful in India but over the last decade they have been in systematic decline."

Astronomers and scientists are also working to educate the public about the eclipse.

Travel firm Cox and Kings has chartered a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to give people the chance to see the eclipse from 41,000 feet (12,500 metres).

Experts will be on board to explain it to passengers, some of whom have paid 79,000 rupees (1,600 dollars) for a "sun-side" seat on the three-hour flight from New Delhi.

The eclipse's shadow is expected to pass over the aircraft at 15 times the speed of sound (Mach 15), said Ajay Talwar, president of the SPACE Group of companies that promotes science and astronomy.

"It's coming in the middle of the monsoon season. On the ground, there's a 40 percent chance of seeing it in India. On the aircraft you have almost a 90 percent chance of seeing the eclipse," he added.

Siva Prasad Tata, who runs the Astro Jyoti website, straddles the two worlds.

"There's no need to get too alarmed about the eclipse, they are a natural phenomenon," the astrologer told AFP.

But he added: "During the period of the eclipse, the opposite attracting forces are very, very powerful. From a spiritual point of view, this is a wonderful time to do any type of worship.

"It will bring about good results, much more than on an ordinary day."


The event -- the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century -- will be visible in a narrow corridor across north India, eastern Nepal, north Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.


Is anyone going to lose/gain their superpowers?

makes sense to me

[Neosutra]

I liked:

But he added: "During the period of the eclipse, the opposite attracting forces are very, very powerful. From a spiritual point of view, this is a wonderful time to do any type of worship.

"It will bring about good results, much more than on an ordinary day."

You heard it here folks, get all of your wishes in before the eclipse is over!

[Khamsin]

Like the shoemaker levy impact, we knew that was going to happen months before it happened.

And yet we still can't accurately predict the impacts of school or fire department levies.

yes its gravity is that strong.

Pfft, and people call gravity a weak force. I can only imagine how strong the weak nuclear force is, then... let alone the strong one!

[Mizango]

And yet we still can't accurately predict the impacts of school or fire department levies.

lol tell me about it XD

Pfft, and people call gravity a weak force. I can only imagine how strong the weak nuclear force is, then... let alone the strong one!

GRAVITY!? WUT HAS SCIENCE DONE!

[kuronosan]

I liked:

But he added: "During the period of the eclipse, the opposite attracting forces are very, very powerful. From a spiritual point of view, this is a wonderful time to do any type of worship.

"It will bring about good results, much more than on an ordinary day."

You heard it here folks, get all of your wishes in before the eclipse is over!

I wish that Neo was Christian for a day!

[Kael]

CNN has something on the Jupiter thing too?

Mystery impact leaves Earth-size mark on Jupiter - CNN.com

(CNN) -- Jupiter is sporting a new scar after a mystery object hit the gaseous planet this week, NASA scientists say.


An amateur astronomer in Australia noticed the new mark on the planet Sunday and tipped off scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, who then confirmed it was the result of a new impact, NASA said.

It's not clear what the object was that crashed into Jupiter's poisonous atmosphere.

Glenn Orton, a JPL scientist, told the magazine New Scientist that it could have been a block of ice from somewhere in Jupiter's neighborhood, or a wandering comet that was too faint for astronomers to have detected before impact.

"We were extremely lucky to be seeing Jupiter at exactly the right time, the right hour, the right side of Jupiter to witness the event. We couldn't have planned it better," Orton said in a NASA interview.

Scientists also don't know how large the object was, but the impact scar it created is about the same size as Earth, JPL astronomer Leigh Fletcher told the magazine.

It is only the second time scientists have been able to observe such an impact on Jupiter. The first happened 15 years ago, when comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke into 21 pieces and hit the planet's atmosphere.

"Given the rarity of these events, it's extremely exciting to be involved in these observations," Fletcher said in a NASA interview.

Thermal images taken by NASA also showed a bright spot where the impact took place, which meant the crash warmed the lower atmosphere in that area, New Scientist said.

Researchers also found hints of higher-than-normal amounts of ammonia in the upper atmosphere. The Shoemaker-Levy comet also churned up extra ammonia, the magazine said.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest in our solar system.

Its colorful atmosphere is 86 percent hydrogen and 14 percent helium, with tiny amounts of methane, ammonia, phosphine, water, acetylene, ethane, germanium, and carbon monoxide. The chemicals are responsible for producing the different colors of Jupiter's clouds.

The temperature at the top of those clouds is about -145 degrees Celsius (-230 degrees Fahrenheit), but far hotter near the planet's center. There, the core temperature may be about 24,000 degrees Celsius (43,000 degrees Fahrenheit), hotter than the surface of the sun.

The most outstanding feature on Jupiter's surface is the Great Red Spot, a storm of gas that swirls at a speed of about 360 kilometers (225 miles) per hour at its edge. The diameter of the spot is about three times that of Earth.

[Antithesis]

Sadly, a simple Darwinism would have sufficed in explaining the entire point of the article.

[Mizango]

Sadly, a simple Darwinism would have sufficed in explaining the entire point of the article.

Very true.

[Mizango]

CNN has something on the Jupiter thing too?

Mystery impact leaves Earth-size mark on Jupiter - CNN.com

Science daily also has the story posted, there are theories floating everywhere as to what it is/was.

Again, this is why having Jupiter around is so very awesome.

[Cyn]

The 22nd is my birthday. It's when my dark power will awaken. The dark power to strike fear in the hearts of hotel and convenience store owners all across America.

[wop]

Very true.

According to ancient chinese superstition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to scare off the dog and rescue the sun.

Back in the olden days, people run through the streets and bang pots and pans to scare away the "eclipse".

[Mizango]

According to ancient chinese superstition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to scare off the dog and rescue the sun.

Back in the olden days, people run through the streets and bang pots and pans to scare away the "eclipse".

.......

[Atreides]

the dark spot on jupiter is actually made up of lots of small monoliths like the one found on the moon!

[Alleya]

.......

Miz you myopic secular elitist, that belief gave them great comfort.

[Blabj]

Oh look, the eclipse has been and gone and the world hasn't ended!