Eclipse 2017 - Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse

Four Eclipses are scheduled to occur in 2017,out of which two are Solar Eclipses and two are Lunar Eclipses. The Solar Eclipses on February 26 and August 21 will be visible in South American and South African countries. These Solar Eclipses will not be visible in India. The Lunar Eclipses of 11th February and 7th August will be visible in many countries of North America, including India, Asia and Europe. The Solar Eclipses occurring in 2017 will be annular and total Solar Eclipse respectively. As these Solar Eclipse will not be visible in India, their Sutak will not be valid in India. The two Lunar Eclipses, which will be visible in India will have their effects and a valid Sutak period for the people living in India.

When is Eclipse in 2017?

In the year 2017, there will be an occurrence of 2 Solar Eclipse and 2 Lunar Eclipse, leading to 4 Eclipses in total, which are as follows:

• When is Solar Eclipse in 2017?

Both these Eclipses will not be visible in India.

• When is Lunar Eclipse in 2017?

• The Lunar Eclipse on 11 February will be a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
• The Lunar Eclipse on 07 and 08 August will be a Partial Lunar Eclipse

What is Eclipse?

Eclipse is a natural phenomenon that is characterized by the obscurement of a celestial body by another celestial body or its shadow. It is known as an Eclipse in English. A Eclipse occurs during a Syzygy in which three celestial bodies are aligned in a straight line, thereby casting their shadows on one another.

Classification of Eclipse

Eclipse has been classified into two categories, Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse, on the basis of the celestial body being the object of obstruction.

• What is Solar Eclipse?

When the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun, it casts its shadow on the Sun, blocking its light and visibility from the Earth. This is known as Solar Eclipse.

• What is Lunar Eclipse?

When the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, it blocks the sunlight from reaching the Moon and casts a shadow over the Moon, leading to the occurrence of what is known as Lunar Eclipse.

Sutak: The inauspicious period

It is believed that there is a certain period of inauspiciousness that happens to occur around the time of Lunar or Solar Eclipses. This period is known as Sutak or Ashouch. It is considered that the atmosphere gets contaminated during the Sutak period and certain things should be taken care of, in order to avoid any consequences one may encounter due to the negative effects of the Sutak.

Duration of Sutak

The time period between two sunrises is divided into 8 Prahars. Since these 8 Prahars are almost equivalent to 24 hours of the day, the time duration of One Prahar is almost 3 hours. Sutak has a number of Do’s and Don’ts associated with it. If a Eclipse is visible from a place, then only Sutak comes into account, otherwise Sutak is not considered. The Sutak period for Solar Eclipse is 4 prahars that lasts for about 12 hours before the Solar Eclipse. The Sutak period for Lunar Eclipse is 3 prahars that lasts for about 9 hours before the Lunar Eclipse.

As soon as an Eclipse ends, take a bath and end the inauspicious Sutak Kaal with it.

Things to do during Sutak

1. One should utilize this period for meditation.
2. Worshipping God is considered to be beneficial.
3. It is believed that exercising during this period yields fruitful results.
4. Chanting Mantras is considered auspicious.
5. Sprinkle the Holy Ganga Jal everywhere in your house to purify it.
6. Consume fresh food when the Sutak period is over.
7. The food items prepared before the Sutak period which cannot be discarded, must be protected by adding Tulsi leaves to them.

Things to avoid during Sutak

1. Initiating any new task or venture should be avoided.
2. Consuming food during Sutak is strictly prohibited. No one should consume anything during the twelve hour Sutak period before the Solar Eclipse (Solar Eclipse) and during nine hour Sutak period before Lunar Eclipse (Lunar Eclipse) till the Eclipses are over. Children, sick people and old people are exempted from this rule, and their period is limited to only 3 hours before the Eclipse.
3. Avoid using any tools like knives and scissors.
4. Steer clear of urination or defecation during the Sutak period.
5. Though worshipping God is encouraged, touching idols should be avoided.
6. Stay away from indulging in any kind of sexual activity during this inauspicious period.
7. Activities like brushing teeth, combing hair, should also be avoided.

Instructions for Pregnant women during Eclipse

Since pregnant women are carrying another life inside them, they are more prone to the harmful effects of the Eclipses. Therefore, they should refrain from coming out and being exposed to the Eclipse as this may lead to the mutilation of the fetus, and also increase the probability of miscarriage and development of abnormalities in the fetus due to the negative energy of Rahu and Ketu. Activities like sewing, knitting, etc. should also be kept at arm’s length to avoid any problems related to childbirth.

Mantras to be chanted during Eclipse

Certain mantras should be chanted during the period of Eclipse to evade any kind of bad effect that may befall due to the negative effect of the Eclipse. These Mantras are given below:

• Solar Eclipse Mantra

Om Adityay Vidmahe Divakaraye Dheemahi Tanno Suryah Prachodayat ||

• Lunar Eclipse Mantra

Om Kshirputrayay Vidmahe Amrit Tatvaaye Dheemahi Tanno Chandrah Prachodayat ||

What are the types of Eclipse?

On the basis of how much area of a celestial body is obstructed during the Eclipse, it is further categorized into:

• Total Solar Eclipse

It occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun.

• Partial Solar Eclipse

It occurs when the Moon partially covers the Sun.

• Annular Solar Eclipse

It occurs when the moon covers the centre of the Sun, leaving a ring (annulus) of sunlight around it, and hence the name Annular Solar Eclipse.

• Total Lunar Eclipse

It occurs when the Earth completely covers the Moon.

• Partial Lunar Eclipse

It occurs when the Earth partially covers the Moon.

• Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

It occurs when the moon falls in the vicinity of Earth’s penumbra. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse is not an actual Lunar Eclipse as the Moon is not covered by the Earth’s shadow, but by the outer part of the Earth’s shadow (Penumbra).

Legend associated with Eclipse

The legend behind Eclipse dates back to the day when Samundra Manthan was taking place. During the churning of the ocean, Amrit was obtained which is regarded as the nectar for granting immortality. After gaining hold of Amrit, a feud broke out between the Devtas (Gods) and the Asuras (Demons) as both the parties were desperate to swill the nectar of eternal life and end the fear of their death. The Asuras took it from the Devtas and a quarrel raged. Such was the ferocity of the fight that Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as Mohini (a charming woman) to deliver an end to it. With her enchanting powers, Mohini made the Devtas and Asuras sit into two different lines, and started feeding Amrit to the Devtas. Suspecting that Mohini might have a trick up her sleeve, an Asura named Swarbhanu disguised himself, and stood in the line of Devtas to drink a few drops of Amrit and achieved the boon of immortality. The Sun God and The Moon God noticed the dupe and informed Lord Vishnu about it. Infuriated, Lord Vishnu decapitated Swarbhanu with his Sudarshan Chakra. Having attained immortality, Swarbhanu did not die, but took form of two different entities represented by his head and body. When the Asuras protested against it, the head Rahu, and the torso Ketu were given the status of planets, and the licence to take their revenge on the Sun and the Moon whenever they come into proximity. Hence, Eclipses are a part of the vengeance of Rahu and Ketu, and are thus considered as a period of negative energy.

We, here at Astrosage, sincerely hope that with our little piece of information, you will be able to know about Eclipse in a better way, and do what it takes to rise above the Eclipse and not let it affect your life in any negative way.