5 Myths That Aren’t Real About The Eclipse In Texas

Today is the big day. The solar eclipse is upon us here in Texas, and there is palpable excitement as several places here in the state are in the path of totality. Many people are traveling to where they can see it in totality, while others (like me) will hang back and see what I can see.

There are however some that are extremely worried about a myriad of things when it comes to the eclipse. Myths and legends that have been resurfaced, and even some new ones. Well, we're here to debunk some of those myths so you can enjoy the eclipse without fear.

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Now, I'm only going to go over a few of the myths that have been brought up. We'd be here all day if I was to get to every one I've heard recently, so I'm going to touch on some of the bigger ones.

THE ECLIPSE WILL CAUSE A MYRIAD OF EARTHQUAKES

I know, we just had an earthquake in New York where you don't typically hear about those kinds of things happening. It's important to keep in mind there are fault lines and tectonic plates everywhere in the country, some are just more active than others.

The myth floating around is that the eclipse is going to significantly shift those tectonic plates causing massive seismic activity across the country. This is simply not true. It isn't going to alter things so much to where the whole country begins to shake. This myth was unearthed because there is talk about how the eclipse changes the gravitational pull of the planet.

GRAVITY WILL BE SEVERELY IMPACTED BY THE ECLIPSE

Ok so gravity itself will not be affected, however, the eclipse CAN cause a shift in the gravitational pull of the planet. Is it enough to start messing with things? No, absolutely not.

The gravitational pulls of the moon and Earth both pull in the same direction, so it can actually slow down Earth just a touch. However, it's a negligible effect and it's not something you would even notice or feel.

Many believe that we will feel lighter as the eclipse is taking place because of it. If you do, it's simply in your head, not reality.

IF YOU'RE PREGNANT, YOU SHOULDN'T WATCH THE ECLIPSE

There's been a lot of talk about how there is harmful radiation that gets emitted during a solar eclipse. Well, NASA says this simply isn't true. According to NASA, “Every second, your body is pelted by trillions of these neutrinos no matter if the sun is above or below the horizon.” In other words, we're subjected to the same amount of radiation or whatever every single day.

You, nor your growing baby will be harmed or affected by the eclipse, so get on out there and see it.

YOUR FOOD WILL BE POISONED BY THE ECLIPSE

This has to be one of my favorite ones I've heard yet. Because of the aforementioned radiation, there have been a lot of people saying that our food will become contaminated due to the radiation emitted. However, NASA already told us the eclipse will emit no more, no less than what we already get.

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE

We end with the big elephant in the room. The amount of people that have said, or believed, that we are all going to perish because of the solar eclipse has created a certain level of panic that is unwarranted.

Many ancient cultures viewed the eclipse as a sign of doom or destruction. However, we have been through a myriad of different eclipses in the history of time, and there has never been a moment where someone died simply because there was an eclipse.

Hopefully debunking some of these myths will allow you to go out and enjoy the event today. This type of solar eclipse doesn't happen often, and we should all enjoy it...without fear.