When an eclipse saved Columbus and his crew

By A.A.Harichandan

BANGALORE, JULY 16. There is story that a lunar eclipse saved the lives of Christopher Columbus and part of his crew, and another story where Tintin is saved by a solar eclipse. While one might have happened for real and the other, just comic book entertainment, both illustrate the fact that man has always had the fear of the unknown.

There is reference to eclipses in the "Rigveda", one of the oldest Hindu texts, where "Swarbhanu", a demon, is severed into "Rahu" and "Ketu" who caused solar eclipses when they devoured the Sun and lunar eclipses when they ate up the Moon.

Even after science succeeds in making the unknown, known, man is reluctant to give up his superstitions; ergo the waking up early on days of "grahana" and taking a head bath and praying to one deity or the other, disallowing pregnant women to venture out on the day of the eclipse, not eating for some hours before the eclipse etc., and the list goes on.

In their book, "Eclipses A Celestial Shadow Play", Ms. B.S.Shylaja and Mr. H.R.Madhusudan, both scientists at the Nehru Planetarium Science Centre here, have this to say: "Perhaps, conditioned to the non-acceptance of unethical, unnatural ways, early men linked eclipses, which they perceived as an aberration of nature, to socially unacceptable practices."

Ironically, even 3000 years ago the Babylonians knew that eclipses have a cycle of approximately 19 years. In 585 BC, Thales of Miletus was able to predict accurately, on the basis of the 19-year cycle alone, the eclipse of 28 May, 585 BC.

There is no doubt that ancient Indians knew about the cause of eclipses, say Ms. Shylaja and Mr. Madhusudan. "The ancients knew that Rahu and Ketu were in fact astronomical points representing the intersection of the Earth's orbit around the Sun with the Moon's orbit around the Earth."

"Chchaadako Bhaskarasyendhurastho Dhanavadhubhaveth; Bhuchaayaam Pradmukhashando Vishaatyasya Bhavedhasou."

These are Sanskrit verses from "Suryasiddhanta" an ancient text that correctly describe the phenomena of solar and lunar eclipses. They translate as "The Moon covers the Sun just as a cloud. This is the eclipse of the Sun. When the Moon, moving eastward, enters the Earth's shadow, it is the eclipse of the Moon."

Astronomers Aryabhata (5th Century AD), Varahamihara (6th Century AD) and Bhaskara were aware of the causes of eclipses.

When Columbus was stranded on the island of Jamaica, the story goes, he and his crew were in danger of starving to death as the natives became hostile after the visitors' extended stay. Columbus had an almanac and used it to threaten the natives with a "black moon" as the gods were unhappy with them.

Sure enough when the lunar eclipse caused a "black moon" to rise, the natives asked Columbus to intercede on their behalf with the gods. He locked himself up in a cabin and came out at the time the eclipse ended. He and the crew are said to have been treated well after this incident.

In any case, the next total lunar eclipse is expected to occur at 20.00 hours GMT on January 9, 2001.

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